Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Doane University on Wednesday evening for a Great Plains Athletic Conference contest during McGill Scholarship Night, honoring freshman Brayden Thompson. A second-half surge by the Tigers forced the Warriors into a heartbreaking 82-63 loss on their home court.
Doane opened the game with a 3-pointer before Butch Lordeus quickly responded with a layup. The Tigers followed with a 5-0 run, answered by a 3-pointer from Jeff Rozelle III. Doane then put together a 4-0 run, but Rozelle III sparked a 7-0 run to tie the game at 12-12 early on.
The Tigers regained the lead at 14-12, prompting a Midland timeout. After the break, Trey McCain knocked down a 3-pointer, but Doane responded with a layup to hold a 16-15 advantage. Rozelle III converted two free throws as the back-and-forth battle continued, and Jake Orr drained a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 22-21 lead.
Doane answered with a layup, but Nick Dolezal responded with a 4-0 run to push Midland ahead 26-23. The Tigers tied the game with a 3-pointer before McCain and Dolezal combined for a 5-0 run. Doane closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 36-33 lead into halftime.
Following the intermission, the Tigers opened the second half on a 12-4 run to extend their lead to double digits, 48-37, forcing another Midland timeout. Anthony Simon converted two free throws after the break, but Doane continued to build momentum with a 4-0 run.
Orr and Rozelle III combined for a 5-0 spurt, and the Warriors later put together a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-50, prompting a Doane timeout. The Tigers responded emphatically, going on a 22-5 run to stretch the lead to 76-55 with under three minutes remaining.
Simon broke the scoring drought for Midland with a layup and a free throw as both teams traded baskets late. Doane sealed the game with a final layup to secure the 82-63 victory.
Midland shot 21-of-51 (41.2%) from the field, while Doane finished 32-of-53 (50.8%). The game was evenly rebounded at 32-32, but the Tigers scored 19 points off Midland’s 18 turnovers.
Rozelle III led the Warriors with 21 points and nine rebounds, followed by Orr with 12 points.
“We kind of settled in the first half, and in the second half we were trying to adjust defensively while they continued to make shots and plays,” head coach Tyler Erwin said. “We turned the ball over 18 times, didn’t make shots and didn’t match their physicality or energy. Credit to Doane — they brought great length, size and energy, and we didn’t respond the way we needed to.
“We had a great crowd and a great opportunity at home, and we didn’t handle it well. Moving forward, we have to build our energy from our defense and not from made or missed shots. That will be addressed every day.”
Midland (9-10, 5-6 GPAC) travels to Forest City, Iowa, to face Waldorf University (5-13, 1-9 GPAC) on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
