Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University opened up the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) season on Wednesday night as they took the court inside the Wikert Event Center against (RV) Briar Cliff University. After a hard-fought game from start to finish, the Warriors fell to the Chargers, 98-90.
The Chargers opened up the game with a 12-6 run, applying pressure to the Warriors. Derek Merwick had the first eight points of the game, looking to build momentum up for Midland. Dominic Humm‘s three-pointer at 15:17 pulled the Warriors closer within a basket, 14-11.
As the team continued to battle, back-to-back layups by Merwick and Humm brought the MU to within a point, 16-15. Jake Rueschhoff gave Midland its first lead of the game with a layup but the lead was short-lived as the Chargers went on an 11-7 run.
The teams began to trade baskets back and forth heading into the final five minutes of the first half. The Chargers continued to keep the Warriors at arm’s length as they took a 44-41 lead into the locker rooms.
After the intermission, the Chargers opened up the half with a pair of free throws. The Warriors continued to match their scoring as they clamored to regain the lead. Just as Briar Cliff began to pull away with a 5-0 run, Midland put a stop to it with a 7-2 run to bring the game back even, 54-54.
Merwick, who had 18 first-half points continued to cook in the second as he went toe-to-toe with Matthew Stilwill of BCU. The fans in attendance and watching online were treated to a great battle between the two guards.
With the game’s outcome in the balance, Briar Cliff went on an 11-4 run to take the lead, 82-79, heading into the final three minutes of action. The Warriors refused to go down without a fight but their strategy of fouling to extend the game only extended BCU’s lead as they converted on 10 of 12 free throws in the final minutes.
Derek Merwick had a huge impact, leading the team with 38 points. Colton Uhing added 15, while Jake Rueschhoff finished with 9, and Dominic Humm with 8. Matthew Stilwill led all scorers with 45 for the Chargers.
For the game, Midland shot 35-of-75 (46.7%) and Briar Cliff was 29-of-48 (60.4%). The rebounds were even as each team pulled down 34 rebounds. Brayden Thompson had 8 to lead the Warriors in just 10 minutes of action.
Midland forced Briar Cliff into 18 turnovers which translated into 23 points.
“At times, I thought we could capitalize a little bit more inside the post,” commented head coach Tyler Erwin. “They couldn’t guard us in the post and they were doubling us, but we couldn’t finish. That was our only frustration from the night. We had probably six or seven plays at the rim that we missed. They’re a good team and they are 6-0 now for a reason.”
Midland (1-2, 0-1 GPAC) will head to Sioux Center, Iowa to take on No. 23 Dordt (6-1, 1-0 GPAC) in another conference matchup. Tipoff is set for 5:45 p.m. inside DeWitt Gymnasium on Saturday, November 18.
