Defense Keys Win at TMCC

The Lumberjacks traveled to Belcourt on Wednesday evening to face off versus rivals, Turtle Mountain Community College. The Jacks forced 40 turnovers en route to a 105-88 victory over the Mighty Mikinocks.

It was a slow start for the Jacks in the first half, as TMCC raced out to a 10-2 lead in the first 5:00. A quick six points over about 30 seconds would cut the lead to 10-8 on a Brian Egejuru elbow jumper. TMCC would see their last lead of the half at 27-26 with 6:26 to go before the DCB pressure started to wear on the Mikinocks. A 18-6 spurt over about 3:58 span would give the Jack's their biggest first half lead at 45-32 with 2:32 to go. Halftime would have DCB up 49-41, as the Jacks shot 48% from the field, holding TMCC to 39% and forcing 22 first half turnovers.

The second half started much like the first with Turtle Mountain cutting the lead on a three that capped a quick 7-0 start to the second half leaving DCB with a 49-48 lead at 18:40. Over the next five minutes Dakota College would outscore their opponents 20-12, upping the lead to 69-60 with 12:50 remaining.   The lead would never get to less than six the rest of the way, as the Jacks pulled away in the waning minutes.

DCB shot 50% for the game, including 52% in the second half. Along with the 40 turnovers, DCB earned 28 assists on 44 baskets. TMCC did win the rebounding battle big, 54-35 including 19-12 on the offensive glass. It is a definite worrisome spot for the Lumberjacks.

Leading the team in scoring was Egejuru with 30 points along with eight assists, and six steals. JJ Morris scored 20 points along with 6 steals, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Wesley Harrison had a solid game with 18 points on 9-14 shooting, and secured eight rebounds. Off the bench, Malik Jones scored 14 with five rebounds and three assists, while Kenric Twine was the final double digit scorer with 11 points. Leading the Mikinocks was Chris Gillis Jr with 15.

The Jacks improved to 3-0 on the year, and will now head to Devils Lake for the Lake Region Classic. They will face Jamestown JV on Saturday at 3:00 pm, and will have a showdown with NJCAA Division I power, Iowa Western on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Iowa Western comes into the game as the #20 team in the NJCAA Division I Polls.