DSU men upset #15 Rocky Mountain to close 2023

Billings, Mont. – In their final game of 2023, Dickinson State got 13 points apiece from Trey Stevens and Cordell Stinson and the Blue Hawks turned in a dominating defensive effort to stun #15 Rocky Mountain, 66-56, at the Battlin' Bears Green and Gold Classic on Saturday.

The Blue Hawks avenged their last-second, 108-107, overtime loss to RMC earlier this season by using smothering defense to hold the hosts to just 33 percent from the field and 19 percent from distance.

Reserve guard Aidan Fishell chipped in 12 points off the bench for DSU and starter John Evans had 7 points and 8 rebounds.

Neither squad held a lead larger than 2 points until RMC took a 17-13 advantage with 11:30 left in the first half, prompting DSU to take a timeout, but another basket by the Bears a minute later put them in front by six. A three by Luca Brooks gave RMC a seven-point lead with 9:13 left in the half, but their lead would never be bigger, as the Dickinson State comeback was underway. An 11-0 run from the Blue Hawks to close the half erased the deficit and gave DSU a 30-25 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Blue Hawks rode the hot hand of Stevens, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the frame, to expand their lead as large as 13 and hold on for the big road victory.

"Our guys battled tonight," said head coach Derek Selvig. "It was a great bounce back effort from our guys after a tough loss yesterday. There's a thousand ways to win a game and tonight it was our defense. Sometimes shots aren't going to fall, and you have to find a way to win, and our guys should a lot of toughness doing just that."

The win over #15 RMC now leads into a six-game homestand for the Blue Hawks, including the first four games of North Star Athletic Association play, as they look for this to be a springboard into the rest of the year.