MAYVILLE -- Shots fell from everywhere for the Mayville State men's basketball team in the second half Wednesday night.
Jake Gonzales capped a stellar second-half with an off-balanced 15-foot jumper with 7 seconds left that gave the Comets the lead for good -- not to mention its first of the half -- and a 68-65 Dakota Athletic Conference victory over Dickinson State.
"Shoot that shot 10 times, the kid is going to make it once, but that's the game of basketball," said DSU coach Ty Orton, whose team has now lost back-to-back conference games on late-game shots.
The Blue Hawks led by as much as 18 in the second half before the Comets (11-16, 6-7 DAC) began chipping away.
DSU had a chance to regain the lead when senior Tomaul Hawkins was fouled driving to the hoop in the final seconds. However, Hawkins missed the first free throw on the bonus.
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"We did everything we could," Orton said. "I thought we played a great game."
Josh Walker scored a team-high 19 points for DSU (15-12, 8-5 DAC), which has now lost five its last six games.
Sean Burnham added 16 points, six assists and five rebounds. Hawkins scored 11 points and had six boards.
Despite the loss, the team locked up the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, which begins Sunday.
The Blue Hawks host Jamestown at 4 p.m. Sunday. Before that, however, DSU closes out its regular season at Dakota State at 7:30 tonight.
"We need to make sure we're doing the things we're supposed to be doing and play hard," Orton said.
DICKINSON STATE (15-12, 8-5 DAC): Josh Walker 8-15 3-5 19, Sean Burnham 6-12 4-6 16, Tomaul Hawkins 5-7 0-1 11, Branden Thomas 3-4 0-0 6, Fred Scheltinga 2-6 0-0 4, Mark Versen 1-2 0-0 3, Brian Lebsock 0-1 2-2 2, Ryan Ernst 1-6 0-0 2, Nathan Lebsock 1-3 0-0 2, Jeremy Mallard 0-1 0-0 0, Derek Pauley 0-1 0-0 0 . Totals: 27-58 9-14 65.
MAYVILLE STATE (11-16, 6-7 DAC): Jake Gonzales 8-15 4-4 23, Dave Johnson 6-11 2-4 15, Drew Bergerson 5-9 0-0 10, Anton Coleman 2-7 2-2 6, Ross Aman 3-3 0-0 6, Micah Berge 1-5 1-2 3, Bryce Laxdal 1-2 0-0 3, Brandon Schater 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 27-55 9-12 68.
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Halftime: DSU 39-28. Total fouls: DSU 15, MSU 12. Technical fouls: Walker, DSU Bench. 3-point goals: DSU 2-11 (Hawkins 1-2, Versen 1-2, Walker 0-1, N. Lebsock 0-2, Mallard 0-1, Ernst 0-3), MSU 5-17 (Gonzales 3-6, Johnson 1-2, Laxdal 1-2, Schater 0-2, Coleman 0-2, Berge 0-3). Rebounds: DSU 31 (Hawkins 6), MSU 27 (Aman 7). Assists: DSU 9 (Burnham 6), MSU 9 (two with 2). Steals: DSU 6 (two with 2), MSU 9 (two with 3). Blocks: DSU 0, MSU 3 (Bergerson). Turnovers: DSU 14 (Walker 4), MSU 14 (three with 3).
