Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. — Midland University hosted Dordt University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference contest Saturday evening, earning a hard-fought 89-85 victory over the Defenders behind a balanced attack.
Amari Rahaman and Jeff Rozelle III opened the game with baskets to give Midland an early 4-0 lead. Dordt responded with a 3-pointer and two free throws to move ahead 5-4. Nick Dolezal scored back-to-back baskets during a 4-2 run to tie the game at 8-8. A layup by Jake Orr put Midland back on top, 10-8, before Dordt answered with another 3-pointer.
Rahaman countered with a layup to give Midland a 12-11 edge before a timeout. Out of the break, Orr scored consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 16-12. Dordt answered with a 4-0 run to knot the score at 16-16. Cole Petersen added a layup, but Dordt responded with a basket and free throw to take a 19-18 lead, forcing another Midland timeout.
Following the break, Petersen scored again, while a Dordt free throw tied the game at 20-20. Brayden Thompson sparked a 7-2 run with a 3-pointer, pushing Midland ahead 27-22 and prompting a Dordt timeout. The Warriors kept the momentum as Rahaman and Rozelle III knocked down 3-pointers, extending the lead to 35-27 with three minutes remaining in the half.
Rahaman added another 3-pointer, and Orr finished inside as part of a 7-0 run. Butch Lordeus capped the half with a 3-pointer, sending Midland into the locker room with a 45-30 advantage.
Jake Orr opened the second half with a dunk, but Dordt answered with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 47-37, forcing a Midland timeout. Rahaman responded with a 3-pointer before Dordt countered with a 5-0 spurt. Both teams traded baskets as Dordt pulled within five, prompting another Midland timeout.
Out of the break, the Warriors surged again with three consecutive 3-pointers — two by Thompson and one by McCain — along with a basket from Orr to complete an 11-0 run and rebuild the lead to 72-56. Dordt battled back behind baskets and trips to the free-throw line, but Lordeus ignited a 6-3 run to push the advantage to 80-67.
The Defenders cut the lead to nine in the final 90 seconds, but Lordeus sealed the win with a free throw and dunk to make it 86-76 with 24 seconds remaining. Dordt added a last second 3-pointer, but Midland closed it out for the 89-85 victory.
Midland shot 31-of-57 (54.4%) from the field, while Dordt finished 26-of-58 (44.8%). Dordt made 13 3-pointers compared to Midland’s 11. The Warriors held a 37-26 rebounding advantage.
Rahaman led Midland with 21 points and eight assists. Orr added 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Lordeus finished with 16 points. Rozelle III contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, and Thompson added nine points off the bench.
“This year it is an open race. Anything can happen in the conference any day. It’s our job to compete every day because there’s no telling what could happen. This week has been big on our mental, just like the next-shot mentality. Not every shot is going to go — basketball is a game of runs. It’s not a perfect game; you aren’t going to hit every shot. Just next shot, and we kept that for the game. BT came off the bench and did a good job — shoutout to him. It was great energy tonight. It’s always nice to play on our home court. We are going to come out here, execute our game plan, play hard and play with energy,” said Butch Lordeus.
“We did a really good job making things difficult for Dordt. Never perfect, always striving for perfection, but we did a really good job. Petersen can block shots, rebound and finish around the rim, and he provided value with that. When Thompson can stretch the floor and make a couple of threes, that’s huge value. Trey defensively — and he can shoot it — we all know Trey; he has been solid coming off the bench. When those three guys add value coming off the bench, it takes so much pressure off everyone else and allows us to make runs. Amari is a true freshman; he’s been tremendous. When you can have eight assists and 21 points, he has done a really good job. He reads the ball screen well, knows where it needs to go and he can score it. He had a tremendous game, and I’m really happy for our team today. You look at the stat line, and everyone on the team did something,” said head coach Tyler Erwin.
Midland (9-9, 5-5 GPAC) will host Doane University (9-8, 4-6 GPAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 14, for McGill Scholarship Night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center.
