Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Midland University traveled to Sioux Center, Iowa, for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup against Dordt University on Saturday afternoon. Despite a competitive first half, a second-half surge by the Defenders propelled them past the Warriors, handing Midland a tough 86-64 road loss.
Ryan Larsen got the Warriors off to a strong start, sparking a 6-0 run. Dordt quickly responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead, but Midland answered with a 5-0 push to regain control. The Defenders then drained a three-pointer, tying the game at 11-11 in the opening minutes. Both teams exchanged baskets in a tight contest, remaining deadlocked at 18-18 with 10 minutes left in the half. Dordt broke through with a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead, prompting a Midland timeout. After the brief pause, the Defenders extended their advantage with three-pointers, fueling a 6-2 run that led to another Midland timeout.
Coming out of the break, Trey McCain knocked down a three-pointer, followed by free throws from Jeff Rozelle III and Jake Orr to cap a 7-2 Midland run. In the final two minutes of the half, both teams traded baskets before Dordt closed with back-to-back three-pointers, securing a 41-31 lead at halftime.
Rozelle opened the second half with a basket, but Dordt responded with a 5-0 run, forcing Midland to burn consecutive timeouts. The Defenders maintained their momentum with an 8-3 run, highlighted by two three-pointers to widen the gap. Midland finally broke its scoring drought with a free throw from Mason Strong and a three-pointer from McCain, but Dordt countered with a 10-0 run, capped by a dunk that kept their energy high.
Nick Dolezal snapped the Warriors’ scoring slump, and both teams traded baskets as they entered the final 10 minutes of play. Orr led a personal 6-3 run before Dordt called a timeout. Midland closed the game with a 6-0 run, but the deficit was too large to overcome, resulting in an 86-64 defeat.
Midland shot 23-of-51 (45.1%) from the field, while Dordt finished 33-of-69 (47.8%). The Defenders dominated from beyond the arc, sinking 14 three-pointers compared to Midland’s four. Dordt also capitalized on Midland’s 16 turnovers, converting them into 25 points.
Orr led the Warriors with 16 points, while Rozelle added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Head coach Tyler Erwin reflected on the game, saying, “Dordt is a tough team with strong guard play and a deep bench, especially hard to beat at home. I really liked our first half—we executed well and stuck to the game plan. The second half got away from us with too many turnovers leading to transition points. That said, we got good bench minutes from Nick, Mason, and Jack, and it was probably one of Jeff’s better offensive games.”
Midland (10-15, 5-12 GPAC) will travel to Crete, Nebraska, to face Doane University (9-15, 4-12 GPAC) in another conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
