BOX SCORE
ST. GEORGE, UTAH – Donovan Plunkett (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas) scored 25 points leading Dixie State College to a 78-63 win inside the Burns Arena in Saturday night's non-conference game against Western State College of Colorado.
The Red Storm junior guard was 7-of-13 from the floor and hit nine free throws to lead all scorers. Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) was the other DSC player in double figures with 12 points.
Dixie State (6-3) remained unbeaten at home shooting 48-percent in the game and 83-percent from the charity stripe. Western State (3-7, 0-4 RMAC) shot 40.6-percent from the field in a losing effort.
After surrendering the first bucket, Dixie State went on an 8-0 run capped by Plunkett's first triple and a lay-in by Andy Palmer (St. George. UT/Pine View). Western cut the lead to two points at the 13:19 mark on Troy McCoy's layup. A second scoring run pushed the lead back to nine when Whitehead nailed a three with 7:28 left.
The Mountaineers switched defenses and caught the Storm off-guard to reel off a 13-0 run and gain their first lead at 28-24. McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) hit a triple off a curl to end the skid and begin a see-saw final three minutes of the first half. Plunkett drained a jumper with 37 seconds remaining to give Dixie State a slim 34-33 lead at the half.
Dixie State never relinquished the lead in the second half although Western State got as close as one point. The definitive streak began with 6:24 left with a pair of Whitehead free throws. A Massey jumper and a three-point play from Kevin Lindquist (Gilbert. AZ/Lone Peak) later, the Storm lead ballooned to nine. Plunkett hit two more freebies at the 1:38 mark to up the advantage to double figures, where it would stay the rest of the game.
Freshman center Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) ripped down a game-high 14 rebounds and blocked four shots continuing solid play inside the paint.
Weylan Towns had 13 points to pace the Mountaineers and Dan Biber chipped in 12 points off the bench.
Dixie State kicks off Pacific West Conference play on Thursday night against BYU-Hawaii – the defending league champs. Tipoff from the Burns Arena is set for 7:30pm Mountain time.
Join John Potter and “The Coach” Mike Olson for live tip to buzzer action on the Red Storm Radio Network – 91.3 Classical FM and online at Network1Sports.com – beginning at 7:15pm.
