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Williston State Holds Off Late Pioneer Rally

Williston State Holds Off Late Pioneer Rally
Posted: Feb 13, 2024

Pioneers 88... Williston State 98

Benjamin Yombi (6'2 Freshman) poured in 33 points (10-20 FG, 6-7 3's, 7-7 FT) and grabbed 5 rebounds as the Williston State Tetons held off a late Pioneer charge in a 98-88 MonDak Conference game in Williston, ND on Monday night. 

The game was a back and forth affair thru the first 16 minutes of the contest as Williston grabbed a 40-39 lead with 4:00 remaining in the half before exploding for a 17-2 run to end the half and take a 57-41 lead to the locker room. The Tetons then expanded that lead after the break to 69-44 with 16:00 remaining before the Pioneers rallied to cut the lead to 82-77 with 3:30 to play. Yombi then netted back to back 3's to put the game out of reach. 

Williston got 22 points (7-8 FG, 0-1 3's, 8-9 FT) and 13 rebounds from Rex Sterling (6'8 Freshman) and another 15 points (6-14 FG, 2-4 3's, 1-2 FT) , 11 rebounds, and 5 assists from Tyler Best (6'6 Freshman).

The Pioneers pushed 4 players to double figures in the loss. Koak Kok (6'7 Freshman) came off the bench to score 21 points (8-13 FG, 5-6 FT) and grab 6 rebounds. Ethan Venema (6'7 Sophomore) added 20 points (9-18 FG, 2-3 3's) and 6 rebounds. Kris English (6'2 Freshman) also came off the bench to add 20 points (7-16 FG, 2-3 3's, 4-4 FT) and 4 assists while Ryder Lee (6'5 Freshman) added 13 points (6-11 FG, 1-6 3's), 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. 

Inside the Box Score

  • The Pioneers shot 34-74 (46%) from the field and 6-17 (35%) from the 3-point line. MCC hit 14-16 free throw attempts.
  • The Tetons shot 33-71 (46%) from the field and 11-25 (44%) from the 3-point line. WSC connected on 21-25 free throws. 
  • WSC outrebounded MCC 43-31. The Tetons had 12 offensive rebounds and the Pioneers had only 7.
  • The Pioneers had 11 turnovers and the Tetons committed 9. 
  • MCC had 43 bench points compared to 17 for WSC.
  • Miles had 42 points in the paint and Williston had 32.

Williston upped its record to 6-11 in MonDak Conference play and 10-16 overall. MCC fell to 9-8 in conference and 13-13 overall. The Pioneers hit the road again Wednesday to play Dakota College at Bottineau. The game will start at 6:30 PM MST.