Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. — Midland University took the court inside the Wikert Event Center on Wednesday night for a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup against Northwestern University. Prior to tipoff, fans and teams recognized those battling and affected by cancer as part of the Warriors’ annual Coaches vs. Cancer game. The event, sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, featured coaches and staff pairing suits with sneakers in support of the cause.
Northwestern opened the game on a 5-0 run before Nick Dolezal put the Warriors on the board with a layup. The Red Raiders quickly answered, forcing an early Midland timeout. Out of the break, Anthony Simon sparked a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to one, 9-8. Northwestern responded with a 15-2 surge to extend its lead to 23-10.
Cole Petersen and Butch Lordeus combined for a 7-2 run to trim the margin to 25-17. After two Northwestern free throws, Dolezal and Amari Rahaman scored back-to-back baskets to make it 27-21. The Red Raiders continued to apply pressure with an 8-2 run to push the lead to 35-23.
Alec Noonan knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by another from Simon, to cap a 6-2 Midland run as the Warriors took a timeout with under five minutes remaining in the half. Northwestern converted twice at the line out of the break, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch. The Red Raiders scored the final bucket of the half, sending Midland into the locker room trailing 48-39.
Simon and Jake Orr opened the second half with a 5-0 run to pull Midland within five, 48-43. Northwestern countered with back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 13-5 run, prompting another Midland timeout. Simon answered with a basket for the Warriors, but Northwestern followed with consecutive dunks to extend the lead.
Orr responded with a layup and a 3-pointer, and he later teamed with Lordeus for a 4-0 run as the teams traded points. Midland called a timeout with Northwestern leading 80-69 with less than four minutes remaining. Out of the break, Northwestern connected on a 3-pointer, while Simon and Dolezal each answered with a basket. The Red Raiders closed the game on a 7-2 run as Midland fell 90-76.
Simon led the Warriors with 21 points, while Orr added 19 points and nine rebounds. Dolezal finished with 14 points, and Lordeus contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
Midland shot 30 of 68 (44.1%) from the field, while Northwestern finished 32 of 61 (52.5%). The Red Raiders held a slight rebounding advantage, 37-34, and went 14 of 15 (93.3%) from the free-throw line.
“We were climbing uphill the whole game, honestly. I don’t think we ever led, and that makes it tough. In the second half, we cut it to four and gave ourselves a chance. They’re dynamic — they have two really dynamic players, and they’re really good.
I liked some of the things we did offensively. I felt like we got good shots, but our percentages weren’t good enough. We left a lot of points out there. We’re looking for consistency. We were on the plus side with 14 assists to nine turnovers, and we only had four turnovers in the second half.
This week, we’ve got to be strategic with injuries and guys being out — taking care of our bodies and being fresh down the stretch. We’re plugging and placing guys with Jeff and Dylan out. We just need that consistency to keep us in the hunt.
This is our fourth year doing Coaches vs. Cancer, and we’re super excited to get it going. Seeing the signs and seeing the pink — it hits home. Two former players have gone through it this past year, and they’re doing well now. It really hit home for our family.
Raising awareness, raising some money and seeing it grow — our players have embraced it. It’s more than basketball. I like our locker room, and I like our guys,” said head coach Tyler Erwin.
Midland (10-12, 6-8 GPAC) will travel to Sioux City, Iowa, to face Morningside (15-5, 12-1 GPAC) on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
