Courtesy of Midland Athletics
LINCOLN, Neb. – Fans got a first look at the Midland University men’s basketball team on Monday night as the Warriors traveled to face the University of Nebraska in an exhibition game. Going up against a taller and more athletic opponent, Midland stayed within two points through the first ten minutes. Ultimately, the Huskers’ size and athleticism took over as they pulled away for a 91-50 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska opened with a seven-point run before Cole Petersen and Butch Lordeus scored back-to-back layups to get Midland on the board. From there, the teams traded runs. The Huskers capitalized from beyond the arc while the Warriors focused on attacking the paint. At the midway point of the first half, Nebraska led 18-12.
After a short burst by the Warriors that pulled them within one possession, the Huskers went on a 12-0 run to extend their lead to 30-16. Trey McCain ended the drought with Midland’s first three-pointer of the game. A few minutes later, Amari Rahaman connected from deep to bring the deficit back to single digits. Nebraska closed the half on an 11-2 run and took a 44-26 lead into halftime.
Early in the second half, Jeff Rozelle III found Lordeus cutting to the basket for a dunk to open Midland’s scoring. Nebraska responded with a 13-point run that included three three-pointers and four free throws.
Leading 59-30, the Huskers continued to move the ball and find open shooters as the advantage grew. Nebraska finished with 15 three-pointers, outscoring Midland from beyond the arc, 45-12.
“I thought the first 14 to 15 minutes we did some really good things,” head coach Tyler Erwin said. “They caused some turnovers and tough plays with their length. We had a good game plan going in, and we executed some things well.”
When asked about takeaways from the game, Erwin added, “Nobody got hurt, we had a great experience, and we got some great exposure. Now we just try to stack days and build off of this. We got some good stuff on film. Even though the lights were bright tonight and it was a big stage, Wednesday’s game is bigger, and then we have our home opener on Friday. We’ve just got to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.”
Nick Dolezal led the Warriors with 9 points in 21 minutes. McCain followed with 7 points in 20 minutes. Fourteen different players scored for Midland. Rozelle pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds and added 3 assists.
Midland will officially open its season on Wednesday night with a road game at Buena Vista University. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Warriors’ home opener is set for Friday night against Dickinson State. Tipoff inside the Wikert Event Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Halloween Night.
