LAKEVILLE — The Riverland men's basketball team played a non-conference game against Dakota County and lost by 26 points.
Dakota County is a NJCAA, Division II team and ranked No. 8 in the country. The visiting Riverland Blue Devils fell behind by 17 points and couldn't catch up in a 79-53 loss on Wednesday night.
"We missed a lot of easy shots and fell behind early in the game," Riverland coach Scott Koenigs said. "We got down 8-0 right away and then played scared against them. After falling into the hole, we never regrouped."
Denzel Smith led the Blue Devils with 14 points on the night. Jordan Osberg and Zach Bunch each scored 12 points in the road loss. The Blue Devils went 17-for-22 from the free throw line.
Riverland (11-14 overall) finishes the season on the road Saturday at Worthington against Minnesota West.
