The Doane men’s basketball team fell to Dordt College Saturday 105-70.
The Defenders took an early lead over the Tigers, scoring 21 points to the Tigers’ seven in the first eight minutes of play. The Tigers trailed for the rest of the first half, making a comeback just before the buzzer.
With the score sitting at 52-38 at halftime, sophomore forward Bryan Meyer said he was hopeful.
“I really thought we had a chance going into the second half,” he said. “But then it went from worse to worse.”
With Dordt shooting an average of 67 percent from the field – 65 percent from behind the 3-point arc – Doane’s 50 percent average couldn’t keep up and the Tigers quickly fell even further behind.
Senior guard Tyler Cyboron said he felt the game didn’t go anywhere near how the men had planned.
“We didn’t do much as a team,” he said. “Dordt had such a high shooting average, especially from the 3-point line, and our defense just couldn’t stop them.”
Also adding to the Tigers’ frustration was the Defenders’ ability to rebound, with Dordt snagging 28 defensive rebounds to Doane’s 14.
“We just couldn’t play defense,” Cyboron said. “And that really didn’t help our offense, being that flustered.”
The Tigers traded baskets with the Defenders for most of the second half, but the quick direction changes eventually took their toll.
“Our transitions were not good,” said Meyer. “We kept letting them shoot three’s (pointers) and they just kept sinking them.”
Sophomore guard Trent Schlautman said he was disappointed in the Tigers’ defense.
“Anyone could make a three (pointer) if they were as wide open as we left them (Dordt),” he said. “We needed to control the tempo, and we didn’t.”
By the last few minutes of the game, the Tigers were far enough behind that consecutive baskets by sophomores Austin Benson and Andy Morris didn’t even make a dent in the scoring gap.
Dordt sank two more 3-pointers and a handful of free throws, easily breaking into triple-digits and taking the victory.
The Tigers face Morningside in the first round of the GPAC tournament 7 p.m. Tuesday in Sioux City, Iowa.
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