Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Dickinson State for its home opener in a nonconference game. After 11 ties and 15 lead changes, the Warriors fell in the final seconds, 75-72, to the Blue Hawks.
The Warriors got on the board first with an early trip to the free-throw line as Jeff Rozelle IIIsank both shots to make it 2-0. The Blue Hawks responded with a 3-pointer before Trey McCain answered with one of his own. Back-to-back layups gave Dickinson State a 7-5 lead, but Nick Dolezal tied it with a layup at 7-7. Jake Orr then went to the line and hit one to make it 8-7, prompting a Midland timeout with 15 minutes left in the first half.
After the short break, Amari Rahaman connected on a 3-pointer, but Dickinson State answered quickly to make it a one-point game, 11-10. Dolezal sparked a 6-3 run with a layup to push Midland ahead 17-13, but the Blue Hawks hit back-to-back threes to take the lead, 19-17.
McCain led a 9-0 Midland run, scoring five points to extend the advantage to 26-19 with less than nine minutes to play. Dickinson State broke its drought with an 11-4 run to tie the game at 30-30, forcing another Midland timeout with five minutes remaining.
After the break, Anthony Simon scored a layup to start a 6-2 run, giving the Warriors a 36-32 lead heading into the final two minutes. A Blue Hawks 3-pointer cut it to 36-35, prompting another timeout. Simon added two at the line to build the lead to 38-35. Dickinson State scored to make it a one-point game again, but McCain buried a 3-pointer to give Midland a 41-37 lead heading into halftime.
After the intermission, Dickinson State opened with an 8-3 run to tie the game at 45-45. A layup by Cole Petersen followed by a 3-pointer from Rozelle III gave Midland a 50-45 edge. The Blue Hawks hit consecutive threes to make it a one-point game. McCain added a layup for a 54-51 cushion as Midland called timeout.
The Blue Hawks then went on a 7-1 run to take the lead, 58-55, with just under 13 minutes left, prompting another Midland timeout. Rozelle III and Dolezal combined for a 4-2 run to bring the Warriors within one. Petersen, Rozelle III, and Orr then fueled a 6-3 run to regain the lead, 65-63.
Dickinson State answered with an 8-2 run to go ahead 71-67, followed by timeouts from both sides. Free throws by Orr and a layup by Simon tied the game at 71-71 heading into the final two minutes. Orr hit one free throw to give Midland a one-point lead with 45 seconds left, but the Blue Hawks responded with a layup to take a 73-72 advantage with 22 seconds remaining. Dickinson State sealed the win with two more free throws, handing Midland a heartbreaking 75-72 loss.
McCain led the Warriors with 17 points, followed by Rozelle III and Simon with 11 each.
Midland shot 26-of-58 (44.8%) from the field, while Dickinson State went 25-of-53 (47.2%) and hit 12 3-pointers compared to Midland’s five. The Blue Hawks held a slight edge in rebounds, 35-32.
“Maybe we were a little bit tired. We’ve had two games that both came down to the wire, and we just didn’t find a way to win either night,” said head coach Tyler Erwin. “We should’ve put ourselves in better positions to win. We missed too many layups. Defensively, we need to make changes. That’s what cost us Wednesday night too.
“I liked our focus tonight — we had a chance — but we didn’t close it out. It’s a journey. I like this group, and we’re doing some good things. We just have to get better.”
Midland (0-2) will travel to Leavenworth, Kansas, to face (RV) Saint Mary in a nonconference game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.
