The Dordt Defenders lost a double overtime decision to Dakota Wesleyan in GPAC play Wednesday night in Sioux Center, Iowa by an 80-78 final score. The game wasn’t decided until Dordt’s three-point shot at the buzzer in the second extra session was off the mark.
Dordt had an early led of 19-12 after a Bryce Coppock basket but the Tigers scored nine points in a row to take a lead they didn’t relinquish until the second overtime.
Wesleyan built the lead to as many as nine points in the first half and maintained that nine point difference into the halftime break.
The lead was still nine at 49-40 with 13:48 left in the game. Dordt battled back to within 55-53 over the next four minutes and eventually tied it at 55-55 on a Jacob Vis basket with 5:16 left in the game. Mason Larson scored for the visitors with 4:02 left and Garrett Franken answered with a basket at the 3:38 mark to tie the game 57-57.
The two teams had multiple chances the rest of regulation but couldn’t convert and Dordt’s shot to win it by Garrett Franken was off the mark.
Dordt never led in the first overtime and needed a left corner three-point basket by Cade Bleeker to send the game to a second overtime as time expired in the first extra session.
Jesse Jansma scored the first basket of the second overtime to give Dordt its first lead since the middle of the first half but Wesleyan answered with a 75-71 advantage. Dordt got a two and a three from Franken to retake the lead with 1:21 left in the second overtime.
Wesleyan answered with five unanswered to lead 80-76 but didn’t make their free throws to seal it. Ben Gesink was fouled with :19 left and made two free throws to get Dordt within two and Wesleyan missed the front end of a one and one with :16 left in the game. After a timeout Dordt was able to get the ball in the hands of Bleeker again but this time the right wing jump shot was offline and Wesleyan survived for the 80-78 win.
Dordt will travel to Concordia on Saturday, November 21.
