Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Midland University faced off against Dordt University on Saturday afternoon in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) action. The Warriors were looking to avenge an overtime loss to the Defenders back in December but saw their losing streak extend to five games with a 77-63 loss in Sioux Center, Iowa. The setback drops their conference record to 5-8 and their season mark to 14-9.
Midland hung tight in the opening half, holding Dordt to 30% shooting from the perimeter (3-for-10) while forcing multiple turnovers (3). However, it was their own offensive struggles that slowed them. The Warriors shot just 37.5% from the field (12-of-32) and committed five turnovers, trailing 38-31 at the intermission.
In the second half, Midland battled back to within a possession (41-38) after a Ryan Larsen jumper with 16:43 to go. However, Dordt went on a 20-6 run to put the game out of reach over the next eight minutes.
The Defenders controlled the paint with a 32 to 14 advantage for the game. Their aggressive inside play led to an edge at the free-throw line as well. Dordt was 22-for-27 while Midland shot 6-for-11.
Bo Sandquist reached 21 points to lead Midland. Fellow starters Jake Rueschhoff and Ryan Larsen joined him in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively. Sandquist also pulled down 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Next up for Midland (14-8, 5-8 GPAC) is a home bout versus conference-leading Briar Cliff (14-6, 10-2 GPAC) on Wednesday, January 26. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center in Fremont, Nebraska.
