Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University stepped onto the court inside the Wikert Event Center to battle Dordt University on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors found themselves down 20 points at the break, but battle back one possession at a time in the second half. They found themselves in the lead in the final minute, but a jumper in the final seconds allowed the Defenders to edge the Warriors 94-93 in Fremont. Midland moves to 4-7 overall and 0-5 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), while Dordt improves to 9-2 on the season and 2-2 in the conference.
With the score, 55-35, at the break as the Warriors coaching staff implored their team to boost its defensive intensity. The Defenders were red hot in the first half, shooting 69% from the field giving them the commanding lead.
After adjustments in the locker room, Midland stepped back on the court with a renewed mindset which launched them on a 12-2 run as Jake Orr took three driving baskets to the glass to begin the battle back.
The Defenders answered to put them back up by 16 but after some back and forth the Warriors cut the lead to five as all five starters made it into double digits in the game.
With 56 seconds left and trailing by six, Jack Cooper ripped an offensive rebound from the defense’s hands and put it back up to cut the lead to four. In the next possession, Ryan Larsen stole an awkward pass near midcourt which led to Dominic Humm hitting a three-pointer off of Jake Rueschhoff’s assist.
Rueschhoff stripped the rock on the inbound pass and tossed it back to Orr. He was fouled on the play and was sent to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. He calmly hit both two free throws with less than 30 seconds on the clock.
On Dordt’s next possession, they were able to move the ball down the court and hit a turnaround jumper to give them the one-point lead with just four seconds on the clock. Rueschhoff received the ball and heaved the ball from well beyond the arc, hitting the back of the iron as the Defenders escaped with the one-point win.
Rueschhoff finished with a team-high 17 points while Larsen added 15. Orr, Cooper, and Humm broke into double figures with 14, 12, and 11, respectively.
“I am really proud of our guys because we didn’t give in and we played hard,” said head coach Tyler Erwin. “They made tough shots. Tip your hat to them but we kept telling our guys one possession at a time and they got us back in it. Our players are due. We do so many good things and keep coming up just a little bit short, but we’re coming”.
Midland (4-7, 0-5 GPAC) will stay at home in the next game. They’ll host Hastings (8-2, 2-2 GPAC) in a Wednesday night conference clash. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m. as the Warriors continue to vie for their first GPAC win of the season.
