Courtesy of Midland Athletics
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Midland University traveled to Dubuque to face Clarke University in a nonconference game that was originally slated for Saturday afternoon. Due to a snowy winter storm that rolled through the Midwest, the matchup was pushed back to Sunday. A hot scoring start by the Warriors set the tone as they controlled the game in a 96-83 road win.
Amari Rahaman opened the scoring with a three-pointer as the Warriors created early energy. Nick Dolezal followed with a layup, and Butch Lordeus added a layup and back-to-back threes to keep the momentum going. Jeff Rozelle III scored inside, and Jake Orr stole the ball for a fast-break dunk as Midland opened on a 17-0 run while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.
Clarke scored its first points at the free-throw line, making three, followed by a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 17-6. The Warriors’ scoring continued with back-to-back baskets from Dolezal and Lordeus, and a three from Anthony Simon sparked a 7-0 run to push the margin to 24-6. The Pride responded with a 14-7 stretch, but Lordeus countered with three straight three-pointers to extend the lead. Clarke continued to chip away, trimming it to single digits at 40-32 with under five minutes left in the half.
Clarke added a 6-0 run—four coming at the line—to pull within 40-38 with under two minutes to go. Simon answered with back-to-back baskets for a 5-0 run, helping Midland regain control at 45-38. After Clarke made two free throws, Dolezal scored inside and Orr added one at the line to make it 48-40 in the final seconds. Clarke knocked down a three with two seconds remaining, and Midland entered halftime leading 48-43. Lordeus led all scorers at the break with 23 points.
After intermission, Clarke opened the second half with a basket, but Lordeus quickly responded with another three. Clarke made two free throws before Dolezal scored back-to-back baskets, followed by a bucket from Cole Petersen to complete a 6-3 stretch. Clarke answered with a 5-0 run, but Petersen matched it with a personal 5-0 run of his own to push the lead back to nine at 63-54.
Both teams traded baskets until Orr drilled a three to ignite a 10-0 Midland run, extending the lead to 83-72. Clarke attempted another push with a 4-0 run, but Midland countered with back-to-back threes for an 8-2 run to stretch the advantage to 91-78 entering the final four minutes. The teams exchanged points down the stretch as Midland secured the 96-83 victory.
Butch Lordeus led the Warriors with 28 points. Nick Dolezal recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Simon added 12 points, and Jeff Rozelle III finished with 11. Amari Rahaman contributed 6 points along with a game-high 9 assists.
Midland shot 35-of-64 (54.7%) from the field, while Clarke went 27-of-63 (42.9%). The Warriors hit 14 three-pointers (50%), compared to Clarke’s eight (30%).
I’m really proud of our team with all the adversity we faced on the trip. We followed the game plan on both offense and defense—simple wins. Nick Dolezal ran simple plays and was really good around the rim. It wasn’t his best stat line, but Jake Orr was really effective and did a lot of non-stat things for the team. Butch was hot early and opened everything up for us, and we kept our composure throughout the game.
Midland (3-5, 1-2 GPAC) will return home for conference action as it hosts Hastings College (2-6, 1-2 GPAC) in a Great Plains Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center in Fremont, Nebraska.
