By Matt Bos, NAIA Media Coordinator

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – (Box Score) –No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) made quick work of unseeded Milligan (Tenn.) 98-55 in the first round of the 2015 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

With the victory, Dakota Wesleyan improved to 29-4 on the year, and moves into the second round where they will take on the winner of No. 12 Bethel (Ind.) and Ashford (Iowa). Milligan ends their 2014-15 season with a 20-11 mark.

In the first half, DWU essentially put Milligan away very early, as the Tigers raced out to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes of action.

Up 20-12 with 11:52 left in the period, the Tigers went on a scoring spurt that put the Buffaloes away for good, as a 10-0 run put them up 32-14 with 8:40 left.

From there, DWU continued to roll, as they went into the break, up 55-31, after a torrid shooting performance in the period. In all, the Tiger missed just seven shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes (20-of-27) to shoot 74.1 percent overall, including going 10-of-14 from long distance (71 percent). Meanwhile, Milligan shot just 37.1 percent in the half.

“I thought it was a really great team effort on our part,” DWU Head Coach Matt Wilber said. “We were really unselfish and really executed well. When you execute well and finish it all looks pretty good.”

In the second half, it was academic for the Tigers, as they continued to pour it on throughout the period. In the end, Dakota Wesleyan walked away with a comfortable 43-point victory over Milligan to move onto the second round for the first time since 2011.

Overall, DWU was led in the victory by Jalen Voss, who ended with 26 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Jade Miller had 17 points, while Trae Bergh and Kris Menning had 16 points, apiece. The Tigers drained 16 three-pointers, tying three other teams for the second most in a single game, last accomplished by William Penn (Iowa) in 2014.

 “The big question was going to be how we handled the environment,” Wilber said. “Obviously I think those questions were answered early for us. When shots are going in, things get a lot easier.”

Milligan was led in the defeat by Mike Woods, Jr., who had 19 points.