Courtesy of Midland Athletics
MITCHELL, S.D – Midland University went on the road in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) on Sunday as it traveled to South Dakota to face Dakota Wesleyan inside the World’s Only Corn Palace. After a closely contested game that featured six lead changes in the early stages, the Warriors take a tough loss on the road 92-80 to the Tigers.
After Dakota Wesleyan opened the scoring from the free throw line, Jeffrey Rozelle III and Jake Rueschhoff scored on back-to-back baskets to give Midland its first lead of the game. After giving up a tying score, the Warriors seized the momentum with three-pointers by Rueschhoff and Jake Orr, orchestrating a 6-2 run to regain the lead. Dakota Wesleyan answered with a 6-2 run of its own to tie the game at 12-12 through the four-plus minutes of action.
As the half progressed, the teams continued trading points. However, the Tigers surged ahead with a 9-0 run, breaking the tie and establishing a 27-18 lead, prompting Midland to call a timeout. Following the break, Orr ended the Warriors’ quiet spell with a jump shot but DWU continued to extend its lead to double digits with a 4-0 run.
Orr, alongside Derek Merwick, spearheaded an 11-2 run, narrowing the gap to two points. Orr contributed five points while Merwick added four, reaching his career milestone of 1,000 points in the rally. The Tigers maintained pressure, closing the first half with an 8-4 run, taking a halftime lead of 41-35.
Following the intermission, the Tigers aimed to widen the gap and began the second half with a 10-2 run, prompting another timeout from the Warriors. After the brief break, Rozelle ignited momentum for the Warriors, contributing to a 12-3 run that led to a timeout by the Tigers. Post-timeout, both teams traded baskets, maintaining a competitive exchange. Ryan Larsen narrowed the gap to three, 63-60 with 10:07 remaining.
Every time Dakota Wesleyan went on a run to extend its advantage, Midland battled back into the game. A 15-4 run by the Tigers in the final stages of the game all but sealed the win. They were able to capitalize on eight points from the free-throw line as the Warriors looked to stage a comeback. Midland closed the game on an 8-3 run but its efforts fell short, resulting in a 92-80 loss.
Derek Merwick led the Warriors with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Ryan Larsen was the next highest scorer with 18 while Jake Orr added 16.
For the game, Midland shot 35-of-68 (51.5%), while Dakota Wesleyan had a slight edge as they shot 34-of-63 (54%). They were able to get the free throw line 26 times, converting on 20, which proved to be the deciding factor. The Warriors made five free throws on seven attempts.
“Tough game tonight on the road. I thought for the most part the first half we weathered their storm and kept it within reach for the first 20 minutes,” commented head coach Tyler Erwin. “It wasn’t perfect but we gave ourselves a chance the first 20 minutes. The difference in the game was the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half when we gave up 10 points and that time and that’s the game. We didn’t get the stops when we needed to and struggled a little bit offensively, but the offense has been above-average all year. We just need to find ways to get stops. Defense needs to travel and it didn’t tonight. Congrats to Derek on his 1,000 points, a big accomplishment in a short amount of time.”
Merwick’s milestone comes in his third season. After starting his collegiate career at Central Community College, he joined the Warriors this season.
Midland (9-12, 4-9 GPAC) will head to Sioux City, Iowa on Wednesday to take on Briar Cliff (12-9, 6-7) in a conference matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on January 31 inside the Newman Flanigan Center.
