Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. — Midland University opened Great Plains Athletic Conference play Saturday evening, hosting Morningside University for Alumni Day. The Warriors began conference action with a 92–82 victory.
Morningside opened the scoring with a three-pointer a few minutes into the game. Butch Lordeus quickly answered with a three of his own, followed by a jumper from Nick Dolezalto give Midland a 5–3 lead. The Mustangs responded with back-to-back baskets to go up 8–5.
Both teams traded baskets as Midland called a timeout with Morningside leading 15–11. Out of the break, Trey McCain hit a three-pointer to make it a one-point game, but the Mustangs answered with a jumper and a free throw to extend the lead to 18–14.
The teams continued to exchange points at the free-throw line before layups from Amari Rahaman and Jake Orr pulled Midland within 22–20, prompting another Warriors timeout. After the break, Morningside hit a three-pointer, and Lordeus responded with one of his own.
The Mustangs went on a 4–2 run before Midland used another timeout. McCain and Lordeus brought momentum with back-to-back threes to push Midland ahead 31–29. Morningside countered with a three to retake a 32–31 lead, and the Warriors used a timeout heading into the final five minutes of the half.
Both teams continued to match scores as Morningside connected on consecutive threes to go up 41–36. A layup from Anthony Simon, followed by a three-point play from McCain, tied the game at 41–41. The Mustangs made two free throws with 23 seconds left, but a final-second basket from Rahaman sent the game into halftime tied 43–43.
After intermission, Morningside opened with a layup and two free throws to take a 47–43 lead. Orr sparked a 7–0 Midland run to put the Warriors ahead 50–47, prompting a Mustangs timeout. Out of the break, Lordeus and McCain combined for a 5–0 spurt to extend the lead to 55–47. Morningside answered with back-to-back baskets before Midland used another timeout.
The Mustangs regained a 57–55 lead with a 6–0 run. Jeff Rozelle III hit a three-pointer, but Morningside responded with a layup and another three to take a 62–58 advantage. Layups from Cole Petersen and Orr tied the game at 62–62 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Morningside scored first in the fourth quarter to take a 64–62 lead before a Midland timeout. Out of the break, Dolezal hit back-to-back baskets, and both teams continued trading scores to remain tied 72–72. After another Midland timeout, Orr scored at the free-throw line and Rozelle buried a three to make it 77–73. Morningside hit two free throws before Rozelle knocked down another three to extend the lead to 80–75.
The Mustangs added two free throws, but a jumper from Orr and two free throws from Rahaman stretched the lead to 84–77 with one minute remaining. Both teams traded free throws down the stretch, and Dolezal capped the game with an emphatic dunk as Midland secured a 92–82 win to open GPAC play.
Rozelle finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Orr added 16 points and nine rebounds. Lordeus led Midland with 21 points, followed by McCain with 13 and Dolezal with 12.
Midland shot 32-for-58 (55.2%) from the field, while Morningside went 27-for-63 (42.9%). Both teams hit 11 three-pointers. The Warriors outrebounded the Mustangs 41–29.
“That is what makes this group so special — we have a lot of guys who can come out here and help us going forward,” Orr said. “Everyone is playing great and pretty balanced this year. Rebounding is something we’ve really worked on, and I still think we can improve, but we’re very focused on the defensive end and getting better each week. Last year, we won our conference opener, and then Mount Marty came in here and beat us. It felt like we were satisfied with that one win. The biggest thing going forward is having a growth mindset, putting the past behind us, and treating each game like it’s the biggest game of the year.”
“We always make it interesting,” head coach Tyler Erwin said. “We made shots, and we really haven’t run different actions — we just have more confidence to make shots, and that helps us defensively. Our length — Jeff and Nick did a good job — and our mobility helped us. Butch and Jeff can shoot it, and it’s deceiving when bigger guys step out like that.
“We have a lot of flexibility, and we can open up the middle to do some things. Cole and Nick both provide a lot, and they complement each other really well. We’ll enjoy this tonight and then focus on the next one, because the next one is bigger than today. The league will be tough, but I’m super proud of our guys, our effort, and our coaching ability, too.
“We’ve had some tough practices and conversations to get us on track. Great support from our alumni and our best crowd of the year. We gave our fans a show, and we’re just scratching the surface with this team. We have a few guys getting healthy that no one has seen yet, so we’re getting there.”
Midland (2-3, 1-0 GPAC) will host Mount Marty (2-4, 1-0) on Wednesday, Nov. 19, for another conference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. for Faculty and Staff Night inside Wikert Event Center.
