LOOMIS, S.D. (Interstat) — Dakota Wesleyan used efficient shooting and a strong first half to beat Valley City State 75-56 in a men’s NAIA basketball game Saturday at the Corn Palace. The Tigers improved to 2-0, while the Vikings fell to 0-2. Valley City State, which lost 84-81 at Hastings in its opener, remained winless. Dakota Wesleyan, which beat Bethany 99-68 in its opener, stayed unbeaten.

Dakota Wesleyan scored 75 points from 62 possessions, an offensive rating of 120.5. Valley City State scored 56 points from 59 possessions, an offensive rating of 95.3. The Tigers shot 30 of 53 from the floor, 8 of 16 from 3-point range and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line. The Vikings shot 23 of 56 from the floor, 5 of 24 from beyond the arc and 5 of 10 from the line. Dakota Wesleyan scored 40 points in the first quarter and 35 in the second, while Valley City State scored 25 in the first and 31 in the second.

Valley City State held a 32-20 rebounding advantage and an 11-2 edge on the offensive glass. Dakota Wesleyan had eight assists to Valley City State’s three. The Tigers committed six turnovers, while the Vikings committed nine. Both teams had 10 fouls, and Valley City State recorded two blocks.

Damian Pearson led Valley City State with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. Oliver Vincent paced Dakota Wesleyan with 11 points, one rebound and seven assists in 31 minutes. Joel Nelson added eight points, six rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. Braelyn Dale finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in 27 minutes. Seydou Tamboura had eight points, eight rebounds and one block in 28 minutes. Easton Neuendorf contributed nine points, four rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Steele Morgan added five points, three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Jayger Meschke scored nine points with one rebound in nine minutes. Jaelyn Johnson had eight points and three rebounds in 28 minutes. Tyson Stevenson scored 10 points with one rebound in 28 minutes.

The most important stretch came in the first half, when Dakota Wesleyan built its lead with balanced scoring and efficient shooting. Tyson Stevenson made two early 3-point jumpers, CJ Banks connected twice from deep and Braelyn Dale repeatedly scored inside. Easton Neuendorf added layups and a 3-point jumper, while Oliver Vincent converted free throws and layups. Valley City State countered with Damian Pearson’s layups and free throws, Jayger Meschke’s three layups and Jaelyn Johnson’s outside shooting. Noah Oberfeld added a 3-point jumper and Desman Botts finished a dunk in the second quarter as the Tigers maintained their advantage.

Earlier in the first quarter, Damian Pearson opened the scoring with a layup for Valley City State, and Jaelyn Johnson hit a 3-point jumper. Maddox Griffin and Taylor Bryant-Frey also scored for the Vikings, while Ethan Determan and Gavin Hinker contributed baskets for Dakota Wesleyan. Steele Morgan made a 3-point jumper, and Joel Nelson made a layup and a 3-pointer for Valley City State in the opening half. In the second quarter, Noah Oberfeld scored on a layup and made a free throw, Ethan Determan hit a 3-pointer, and Desman Botts made a layup and a dunk. Valley City State got 3-pointers from Jaelyn Johnson and Joel Nelson and layups from Seydou Tamboura and Logan Deal.

Dakota Wesleyan made half of its 3-point attempts and shot 56.6 percent overall. Valley City State shot 41.1 percent overall and 20.8 percent from three. Valley City State stayed competitive on the glass, while Dakota Wesleyan finished with the assist and turnover edge.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Dakota Wesleyan 77, Valley City State 73. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Dakota Wesleyan with an 88.6 percent probability to win.