FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University’s women’s basketball team fell behind early and couldn’t make up the ground, falling to Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) opponent Dakota Wesleyan University by a score of 67-47 on Saturday afternoon. The game was the fourth in seven days for the Warriors, and the loss moves to them to 11-6 on the year and 8-6 in the league. Dakota Wesleyan improves to 8-5 overall, 6-5 GPAC.
Midland shot 29.1 percent (16-of-55) from the field compared to 46.4 percent (32-of-69) for Dakota Wesleyan. The Tigers also outrebounded the Warriors 45-35 and forced 22 turnovers.
Individually, the Warriors were led by sophomore Emma Shepard’s 15 points off the bench. Junior Peyton Wingert followed with 12 points to go along with five rebounds. Senior Makenna Sullivan was the top rebounder on the day with nine.
The Tigers shot out to an 11-4 lead through the opening five minutes. Wingert answered with a layup to bring the score to 11-6. Shepard scored five points for the Warriors as the score climbed to 17-11 with 2:33 to go. It would be Shepard again, hitting a pair of free throws, to close out the first quarter with Midland down 21-14.
In the second quarter, Dakota Wesleyan came out on a 10-1 run, extending the lead to 31-15 within the first three minutes. Another run for the Tigers brought things to 39-18 before a layup from Erin Prusa slowed the momentum. The Tigers hit a jumper at the buzzer, bringing the score to 43-25 heading into the break.
Dakota Wesleyan was firing on all cylinders and outscored Midland 22-11 in the quarter. Shepard was a bright spot through the first two quarters as she was good for 10 points. Sullivan racked up six rebounds to go along with a block. The Warriors struggled offensively, shooting just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from the field versus 57.6 percent (19-of-33) for the Tigers in the first 20 minutes of action.
Wingert got the Warriors on track early in the third after knocking down a three for her 10th point of the afternoon. Moments later a steal from Haase resulted in a Sullivan layup, cutting the Tiger lead to 43-30 with 7:25 to go. Turnovers on back-to-back possessions momentarily halted the momentum, but Sullivan came through with a gritty layup to bring the score to 48-32. It would be Sullivan again as the senior drained one from three, bring the score to 48-35 with under five remaining. The Tigers roared back though with buckets on back-to-back possessions, building the lead back up to a comfortable 52-35 advantage. They continued to charge ahead, looking comfortable on Midland’s home court, heading into the final quarter with a 59-39 edge.
Dakota Wesleyan got on the board first in the fourth quarter, hitting a jumper for a 61-39 lead. Erin Prusa responded on the following possession by driving for a layup and her first points of the day. Turnovers continued to take the steam out of Midland’s offense as the deficit grew to 65-41 with seven minutes to go. Neither team could find much success down the stretch as the score stood at 67-44 with 3:17 on the clock. A comeback was insurmountable as time ran out on a 76-47 Dakota Wesleyan win.
Midland (11-6, 8-6) will be back in action on Wednesday as they host the College of Saint Mary for a midweek conference showdown. Tipoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. inside of Wikert Event Center. The Warriors and Flames clashed on January 4, with Midland running away with a 65-57 road win.
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