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Dordt College Men's Basketball vs. Nebraska Wesleyan
January 21, 2006
Game Media
(Sioux Center, Iowa) The Dordt College Defender men's basketball team overcame a 16-2 early deficit this afternoon in Great Plains Athletic Conference basketball to turn away Nebraska Wesleyan 59-45 in a game played at Sioux Center.
The Defenders surrendered 14 points in a row after a 2-2 tie, to trail 16-2 with 7:30 left in the first half. The Defenders finally got a pair of free throws by Luke Ruter and a lay up by Ruter off steal by Scott Van Zanten to get rolling. The Defenders outscored Wesleyan 17-6 in the final seven minutes to trail by 22-17 at halftime. At one point in the first half the Defenders were 1-19 from the floor.
The Defenders continued their comeback in the second half, immediately cutting the lead to one and also got Nebraska Wesleyan into foul trouble.
The Defenders tied it at 36 and took their first lead on a basket by Brandon Haan with 8:22 remaining. The Defenders would never trail again. Wesleyan slowly saw Dordt pull away with Kris Vander Kooy hitting a three-pointer to stop their first threat with 6:16 remaining. The Defenders made 15-19 free throws in the second half and 23-29 for the game to seal their eighth conference win.
Dordt was led by Luke Ruter's 18 points. The senior moved into 3rd place all time in scoring in the process, passing Dave Van Essen and has a total of 1569 career points. He trails Gene Hospers by 58. Brandon Haan eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier as well, becoming the 24th player in Dordt basketball history to reach that level. He's currently 22nd all-time with 1006 points.
Haan also led Dordt with six rebounds while Chad Huenink grabbed five and Ruter four. Ruter also had three assits and Scott Van Zanten had four steals.
Wesleyan was led by Joe Easley's 17 points and nine rebounds. The Prairie Wolves were forced into 22 turnovers.
Dordt's Current Record: 16-5 (8-3)
Opponent's Current Record: 8-9 (3-8)
| Team | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dordt College | 17 | 42 | 59 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan | 22 | 23 | 45 |
| Dordt Rebounding Leaders | Total |
|---|---|
| Brandon Haan | 6 |
| Chad Huenink | 5 |
| Luke Ruter | 4 |
| Team Total: | 28 |
| Opponent Rebounding Leaders | Total |
|---|---|
| Joe Easley | 9 |
| Tyler Ideus | 7 |
| MJ Hrabik | 5 |
| Brandon Arp | 5 |
| Team Total: | 39 |
| Dordt Scoring Leaders | Total |
|---|---|
| Luke Ruter | 18 |
| Brandon Haan | 12 |
| Josh Boyer | 7 |
| Team Total: | 59 |
| Opponent Scoring Leaders | Total |
|---|---|
| Joe Easley | 17 |
| Bob Ludwig | 6 |
| Mark Heiser | 6 |
| Team Total: | 45 |
| Dordt Team Shooting | Pct | |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals: | 16/50 | 32% |
| 3-Point Field Goals: | 4/11 | 36% |
| Free Throws: | 23/29 | 79% |
| Opponent Team Shooting | Pct | |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals: | 20/46 | 43% |
| 3-Point Field Goals: | 1/12 | 8% |
| Free Throws: | 4/7 | 57% |
For more information, please contact Mike Byker, Sports Information Director, at mbyker@dordt.edu or (712) 722-6301.
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