With the best records on
paper, Buena Vista College and Dakota State University
should make it into the inaugural Touchstone Energy
Cooperatives Tourney
championship Sunday at the DSU Fieldhouse.
Buena Vista is undefeated in NCAA Division III
play, while DSU has amassed a 4-2 non-conference
mark.
"Buena
Vista comes into the Touchstone with the strongest record,
based on its record last year (23-9) and this year's early
3-0 mark," said DSU head coach Jeff Dittman.
Dittman's Lady T's only
two losses, 69-67 and 94-63, have come to Top 20 NAIA-ranked
Northwestern of Orange City, Iowa.
DSU, however, has posted wins over
the University of Sioux Falls, 87-67, Dakota Wesleyan
University, 69-52, Waldorf College, 84-80 in overtime, and
Dordt College, 67-64.
According to Dittman, his players still have plenty of
work to do. "We
have to work on better, consistent play," stresses
Dittman. "We have to play well throughout all 40 minutes
of each game. Right now, we have our good moments, but we
also have our bad ones. We have to get all three phases of
the game -- offense, defense, and rebounding -- going at
the same time in each contest."
If the
Lady T's can accomplish that, Dittman
believes his team can be competitive in the tournament.
Buena Vista and DSU face teams which are
essentially revamped ball clubs.
Buena Vista takes on Mayville State in
opening-round play Saturday at 6 p.m.
"Mayville brings in a new team with most of last year's
team having graduated," says Dittman.
The Lady Comets have a record of
1-5 thus far this season.
Mayville has lost to the
University of Sioux Falls 81-69, Northwestern
College, 85-62, the University of
Minnesota-Crookston, 80-50, Concordia of St. Paul (Minn.),
81-76, and Bemidji (Minn.) State University 67-46.
Their lone win was against Mt. Marty College, at home,
76-67.
Graceland College of Lamoni, Iowa, who the Lady T's play
after the Buena Vista-Mayville game, are 0-6.
"Despite their early-season record, Graceland, in
their second year under Coach Laura Pollard, has a much
better team than it had a year ago," Dittman says.
Two of
Graceland's six losses have been close ones as the
Yellowjackets fell to William Penn University, 66-62, and
Grandview (Neb.) College, 53-51.
Graceland's other losses came to St. Ambrose
University, 77-49, Hastings College, 73-59, Central
Methodist University, 76-63, and Waldorf College 66-44.
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