Crete, Nebraska — The Defenders earned a conference win on the road Saturday at Doane, defeating the Tigers 71-58.
Dordt ran out to an 11-3 lead early on thanks to a trio of three-point baskets and a couple of free throws to begin the contest with momentum on their side. With the Defenders leading by eight at around the three-minute mark of the first quarter, Ashtyn Veerbeek scored the next six points to give Dordt a 23-9 lead. Dordt maintained a double-digit lead until Doane’s Ashley Teten cut the lead down to 8, and the Tigers narrowed the Dordt lead to as much as four on two occasions before Karly Gustafson made a three to give Dordt a 36-29 halftime lead.
Gustafson scored the next points out of the break to move Dordt’s lead back to 10 points, which the Defenders held onto for most of the quarter. McKenna Klecker scored off of the assist from Mya Chmielewski, giving the Defenders a 49-38 lead going into the final quarter.
Dordt’s lead extended to as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter as Baylee Tetzlaff scored a jumper in the paint with 3:32 remaining in the game. Doane went on a 10-3 run in the final minutes of the game, but the Defenders held on to earn the win.
Dordt is now 12-8 and Doane is 4-16
Next up for the Defenders will be a matchup with Northwestern on Wednesday, January 27. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm in Orange City, Iowa.
