Courtesy of Midland Athletics
HILO, Hawaii — Midland University wrapped up play in the Holiday Classic on Wednesday afternoon with a nonconference matchup against Nelson-Arizona.
Jeff Rozelle III opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to give Midland an early lead. Nelson responded with a 5-0 run to go ahead 5-3. Amari Rahaman tied the game at 5-5 with a jumper, but Nelson answered with back-to-back baskets to build a 9-5 advantage. Jake Orrsparked a 9-0 run for Midland, reclaiming the lead at 14-9.
Nelson continued to apply pressure with consecutive baskets to cut the margin to one. A basket by Cole Petersen and a free throw from Nick Dolezal pushed Midland ahead 17-13. Both teams traded trips to the free-throw line, and Petersen added another basket to give Midland a 21-16 edge with four minutes remaining in the half. Nelson closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 23-21 lead into the locker room.
Nelson opened the second half with a basket before Rozelle III quickly countered with a 3-pointer to put Midland back in front, 25-24. Nelson answered with a 6-1 run to regain the lead at 31-25. Petersen broke the scoring drought for Midland, igniting a 6-0 run to tie the game at 31-31 and force a Nelson timeout.
Out of the break, Nelson used a 9-3 run to build a 40-34 advantage. Rahaman knocked down a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to three. The teams traded baskets before Nelson called another timeout. Following the stoppage, Anthony Simon and Trey McCain drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give Midland a 45-44 lead.
Both teams exchanged free throws to keep the game tied at 49-49 before Butch Lordeus hit a jumper to put Midland ahead 51-49, prompting another Nelson timeout. Nelson responded with a 6-2 run to regain the lead, but Rahaman tied the game at 55-55 before Midland called a timeout with two minutes remaining.
Rahaman scored out of the timeout, and Nelson answered on the other end. Rahaman converted another basket to give Midland a 59-57 edge, but Nelson made two free throws to tie the game at 59-59 with under 20 seconds remaining. Rahaman sealed the game at the free-throw line, knocking down both attempts to secure a 61-59 Midland victory.
Midland shot 21-of-51 (41.2%) from the field, while Nelson-Arizona finished 23-of-61 (37.7%). The Warriors connected on seven 3-pointers compared to Nelson-Arizona’s two.
Rozelle III led Midland with a double-double, recording 16 points and 11 rebounds. Rahaman also scored 16 points, while Petersen added nine.
“We battled,” head coach Tyler Erwin said. “It wasn’t our best offensive performance, but we made enough plays down the stretch. It’s always tough playing back-to-back games on short rest and limited preparation, and I thought our guys handled it well. Cole Petersenplayed really well in the second half and made a couple of huge defensive plays. Amari stepped up and hit big free throws at the end. It was a total team effort — we found a way.”
Midland (7-7) will break for the holidays before returning home Dec. 30 to host Hesston (0-16) in a nonconference game. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center.
