The Dana College women’s basketball team went 2-1 on the week.  The Vikings played a pair of NAIA teams and a NCAA Division II squad. The Vikings came away a home win over Mayville State, 74-61.  The Comets were the No. 24 rated team in the preseason NAIA poll.  Dana then traveled to Omaha to take on Division II UNO.  The Mavericks took the match-up 79-36.  The Vikings rebounded on Saturday to stop the Warriors of Waldorf, 57-52.
 
Dana opened the week by hosting the 24th rated Mayville State Comets. Dana grabbed its largest lead of the first half with 5:38 left as Amy Nichol (SR, Des Moines, Iowa) nailed a pair of free throws.  Mayville would not go quietly into the locker room, as they tied the game at 34-34 with less than 90 seconds remaining.  Nichol hit two more free throws with less than a minute remaining to give the lead back to the Vikings.  Heidi Gowery (SO, St. Helena, Neb.) put the Vikings up four as she hit a 15-foot jumper.  Kayla Hofstetter (SO, Lawrence, Neb.) blocked a Comet three-point attempt with time running out to preserve the four-point halftime lead.
 
Early on in the second half, the two teams exchanged baskets.  Mayville took a short-lived lead with 13:41 left in the game.  The Vikings responded by going on a 21-7 run to regain the lead.  Tricia Trotter (SO, Treynor, Iowa) would chip in six points during the run.  Dana would not relinquish the lead and would come away with a 74-61 victory.  
 
Nichol had a team-high 29 points and nine rebounds.  She added four steals and two assists.  Amanda Bryant (JR, Treynor, Iowa) would added 12 points and eight rebounds. Trotter chipped in 10 points. Freshman Megan Finn (Omaha, Neb.) added six points and six rebounds.
 
Two nights later, Dana traveled into Omaha to face the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Division II Mavericks would prove to be poor hosts to the Vikings.  UNO subdued the Vikings 79-36.  
 
The Mavericks opened the game on a 23-3 run to put the game out of reach.  An Amanda Bryant lay-up cut the lead to 16 points with 11:32 left in the half.  Dana continued to chip away at the lead and drew within 35-24 with 2:15 left to go as Jillian Bryant (SO, McCook, Neb.) hit a jumper in the paint.  The Vikings went into the halftime locker room down 37-26.
 
Amanda Bryant would cut the lead to nine points shortly after half, but it would be the closest the Vikings would come.  UNO finished the game on a 42-8 run.  The Mavericks applied baseline-to-baseline pressure and limited the Vikings to only 13 percent shooting in the second half.  
 
Amanda Bryant was the lone Viking in double digits with 15 points and four boards. Trotter added seven points.  Both teams were haunted by turnovers.  The Vikings turned the ball over 31 times on the evening, while UNO gave the ball away 24 times.
 
The final game of the week was at home on Saturday against the Waldorf College Warriors who came into the game with a 5-1 record.  The Warriors had collected three wins over two other Great Plains Athletic Conference foes.  The Vikings came out ready to defend their home court.
 
Dana College opened the game with a 14-4 run.  The Vikings were up 13-3 with 14 minutes left in the first half as Amanda Bryant hit a free throw.  Waldorf cut the lead to eight points with 11:40 left. Jillian Bryant put the lead back to 12 points as she hit two free throws.  Waldorf countered with a 22-12 run to end the half by forcing eight Dana turnovers in the final eight minutes.  The two teams went into the halftime locker room tied 26-26.
 
Dana jumped out with a 12-2 run to start the second half.  Amanda Bryant made two lay-ups and hit a free throw in the opening three minutes.  Jillian Bryant stretched the lead to ten as she hit a lay-up in the lane.  
 
Waldorf did not fold under the Viking pressure.  They took a brief lead with five minutes left 52-50 (their only lead of the game).  The Vikings held the Warriors scoreless the last five minutes of the game to take the 57-52 win.
 
Dana had three players in double digits.  Trotter had a team-high 12 points on 5 of 13 shooting.  Amanda Bryant had 11 points and four rebounds.  Erin Bazata (JR, Randolph, Neb.) had ten points and eight rebounds.  Nichol had a game-high 13 boards.
 
The Vikings are now 4-3 overall.  Dana opens GPAC play on Tuesday against Midland Lutheran in Blair at 6 p.m.  The women’s JV team will play before the varsity game at 4 p.m.
 
 

For More Information, please contact:

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