Dec. 10—SIOUX CENTER, Iowa. — For the second year in a row, the Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team had the nation’s No. 1 team and reigning national champions on the ropes.
This time, however, the Dordt Defenders wriggled out of a home jam at DeWitt Gymnastium and survived the charge from the No. 14-ranked Tigers in an 86-81 decision in Great Plains Athletic Conference play Wednesday in northwest Iowa.
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The Tigers (6-4, 4-2 GPAC), who knocked off No. 1 Dordt in overtime at the end of the regular season on Feb. 22, 2025, in Mitchell 76-66, held a momentary three-point lead going to the fourth quarter but the host Defenders rode an elite scoring performance to get back in the win column and improve to 9-1.
Gracie Schoonhoven was dominant for Dordt, finishing with a career-high 35 points in 38 minutes of play, eight rebounds and a perfect 10-for-10 day at the free-throw line. Schoonhoven, a 5-foot-11 guard from Hospers, Iowa, entered the game averaging nearly 21 points per game and leading the conference in scoring.
Schoonhoven scored 17 points in the second half alone for the Defenders, which saw Dordt lead by as many as eight points in the third quarter, only for DWU to rip off a 13-1 run for control of the lead. That held up into the fourth quarter when Taliyah Hayes had a 3-pointer for the lead at 71-68 with 7 minutes left for DWU. From there, Dordt scored the next 10 points in a row and did not look back, as the Tigers would not get closer than three points after that stage.
DWU’s night was defined by its balance, with five scorers in double figures, led by 16 points from Avery Broughton and 16 points from Hayes off the bench. Avery Orth added 15 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 11 minutes of play. Rylee Rosenquist had 11 points and Jaida Young had 10 points.
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DWU forward Emma Yost, who averages nearly 17 points per game, wasn’t one of the leading scorers for the Tigers as she finished with six points. She was kept out of double digits for scoring for the first time this season.
Dordt, which suffered its first loss of the season in overtime at Doane on Saturday, held a big advantage in free throws at 21-for-26 on free throws, while DWU was 7-for-9 on free throws.
The Defenders’ Willow Bleeker had 18 points and Macy Sievers finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Dordt, which shot nearly 53% from the field.
Wednesday was the last matchup for DWU in a string of four games against top-10 foes, all on the road since Nov. 25. The Tigers had wins over Briar Cliff and Concordia, who were both ranked No. 9 at the time of the victories, while taking losses at No. 4 Dakota State and No. 1 Dordt, which will host No. 9 Concordia (Neb.) on Saturday.
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Dakota Wesleyan will host GPAC foe College of Saint Mary at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Corn Palace.
No. 1 Dordt 86, No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan women 81
DWU (6-4, 4-2 GPAC): Avery Broughton 5-12 4-6 16 Rylee Rosenquist 4-10 2-2 11 Jaida Young 5-11 0-0 10 Shalayne Nagel 3-8 0-0 7 Emma Yost 3-7 0-0 6 Taliyah Hayes 6-11 0-0 16 Avery Orth 7-7 1-1 15 Maleighya Estes 0-2 0-0 0 Totals 33-68 7-9 81
Dordt (9-1, 5-1 GPAC): Gracie Schoonhoven 12-18 10-10 35 Willow Bleeker 6-11 1-1 18 Macy Sievers 5-9 4-8 15 Desta Hoogendoorn 2-4 2-2 6 Olivia Haravin 1-6 3-4 5 Taylor Drent 2-4 1-1 5 Stella Charleston 1-1 0-0 2 Aubrey Burkhart 0-2 0-0 0 Totals 29-55 21-26 86
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DWU 22 42 66 81
DOR 29 48 63 86
3-point field goals: DWU 8-21 (Hayes 4-6, Broughton 2-3, Rosenquist 1-4, Nagel 1-4, Young 0-3, Yost 0-1), DOR 7-18 (Bleeker 5-9, Schoonhoven 1-1, Sievers 1-4, Harazin 0-2, Burkhart 0-2). Rebounds: DWU 28 (Young 7), DOR 34 (Sievers 13, Schoonhoven 8). Total fouls: DWU 18, DOR 10. Fouled out: none. Assists: DWU 20 (Broughton 4, Rosenquist 4, Young 4), DOR 15 (Sievers 6). Turnovers: DWU 10, DOR 13. Blocks: DWU 2 (Broughton 2), DOR 3 (Schoonhoven, Sievers, Drent). Steals: DWU 3 (Broughton, Rosenquist, Young), DOR 5 (Sievers 2).
