Vikings Take Two in South Dakota

The men’s basketball team traveled to Madison, South Dakota to take part in the Ed Harter Classic over the weekend.  The Vikings continued their hot start with a pair of wins over the weekend.  Dana downed Mayville State 81-66 on Friday evening.  The Vikings then took down host school Dakota State for the second time in a week 70-67.

The Vikings matched up against Mayville State in the opening round of the Ed Harter Classic.  The Comets finished last season as runner up in the NAIA Division II tournament.  Mayville was looking for some revenge from last year when the Dana knocked them off 85-83 in the same tournament. 

Revenge was something the Vikings would not let happen.  Dana featured four players in double digits as they came away with an 81-66 win.  Gabe Bross (JR, Omaha, NE) led the Vikings with a game high 22 points.  Bross also added seven rebounds and two steals.  Trent Mumma (SR, Bennington, NE) kept up his hot shooting with 19 points.  Eric Maassen (JR, Hancock, IA) added 13 points and seven boards.  Sean Johnson (SO, Council Bluffs, IA) scored 11 points and dished out a team high six assists.

Dakota State looked to give a better performance at home in South Dakota against Dana.  The Trojans lost a 27 point game to the Vikings on November 3 in Blair.  Coach Fear’s group would not allow DSU to exact revenge.  The Vikings overcame a seven point half time deficit to win 63-60.  This was the second straight season; Dana swept both games of the Ed Harter Classic.

Eric Maassen led the Vikings with a game high 19 points and seven rebounds.  Sean Johnson chipped in ten points in the win.  AJ Arkfeld (SO, Harlan, IA), Doug Huston (JR, Olathe, KS), and Trent Mumma each dished out three assists.

“I am very pleased with how hard we fought to get this win,” said Coach Fear. “We beat Dakota State at home last week and it’s very difficult to go on the road and play the same team in such a short amount of time. We were down the entire game, but found a way to come back and get this one. The credit goes to the players for making the adjustment at halftime.”

The Vikings are now 4-1 on the season, but will play two nationally rated teams on the road before returning home on November 20.  Dana will travel to Bellevue, Nebraska to take on NAIA Division II powerhouse Bellevue University.  The Bruins are rated 17^th in the preseason poll this year after spending most of the 2006-2007 a top the NAIA poll.  The Vikings travel back to South Dakota on November 17^th to take on NCAA Division II University of South Dakota.  The Coyotes are picked 16^th in the preseason NCAA Division II poll.

For More Information, please contact:

Shad Beam, Sports Information Director, 402-426-7389 or sbeam@dana.edu