Courtesy of Midland Athletics
YANKTON, S.D. – Midland University traveled to Yankton, South Dakota to take on Mount Marty University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup on Wednesday night. A balanced attack on the offensive end, along with key stops down the stretch, propelled the Warriors to a hard-fought 89-86 victory over the Lancers.
Mount Marty opened the game on a 5-0, exerting early pressure. Jake Rueschhoff ended the Warriors’ drought with a layup, sparking a 10-3 run. Amidst a series of exchanged baskets, the Lancers pulled even at 13-13 with a free throw. Derek Merwick propelled the Warriors into the lead with a jumper and a free throw and then Jake Orr extended the advantage with a three followed by a free throw. The Lancers once again worked to narrow the margin, making consecutive layups. Nick Dolezal brought the Warriors’ bench to their feet with a dunk, aiming to amplify Midland’s momentum.
As the teams battled on the hardwood, the Lancers brought the score even again at 28-28 with 5:54 remaining in the first half. They reclaimed the lead with a three-pointer, setting the stage for an intense exchange of baskets. With time ticking down, the Mount Marty went on a 5-0 run but Orr hit a baseline jumper to narrow the gap. Midland trailed 43-37 at halftime.
After the intermission, Mount Marty wasted no time as it went on another run to extend its lead into double digits, 48-37. Midland responded with a 15-2 run, keeping the game neck and neck. As the Lancers managed to break their scoring drought, their efforts led to another quick burst to go back in the lead.
The game reached a thrilling 72-72 deadlock after consecutive layups by Ryan Larsen and Merwick. Mount Marty surged ahead with a 7-0 run, only to be matched by an 8-0 run by Midland.
In a relentless back-and-forth battle, the lead changed multiple times down the stretch. Jeffrey Rozelle III sparked a 5-2 run, putting the Warriors in front 88-85, with 1:35 left on the clock. As the Lancers looked to draw closer or tie the game, Orr made a crucial steal. After getting fouled, he made one of two from the charity stripe to secure the 89-85 road win for the Warriors.
A balanced attack led to the victory as six players reached double figures scoring. Derek Merwick led the team with 21 points, followed by Jake Orr with 18, Ryan Larsen with 17, and Jake Rueschhoff with 13. Jeffrey Rozelle III and Nick Dolezal each finished with 10 points as well.
Midland shot the ball well from the field, going 34-of-63 (54%) while Mount Mary went 33-of-71 (46.5%). The Lancers kept the game close with their long-range attack, making 11 threes on the night.
“Really proud of our effort tonight by all our guys. We finished the game,” commented head coach Tyler Erwin. “Winning on the road in this league is tough. We played from behind and fought back in it. In the second half, we caused three late turnovers that led to good offense. We made shots and made winning plays down the stretch.
“I really like what we did defensively the last couple of minutes; especially when we needed to get stops. I thought it was one of Jake Orr‘s better games all year. A complete game tonight on both ends of the floor. Really proud of our energy and effort.”
Midland (11-17, 6-14 GPAC) will travel to take on Concordia (21-6, 14-5) in its final game of the season this weekend. The Warriors will make the short trip to Seward, Nebraska on Saturday, February 24 to face the Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 3:45 p.m. inside Friedrich Arena.
