Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Midland University traveled to Sioux Center to face Dordt University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference game Saturday evening. An early surge by the Defenders forced Midland to a tough 81–59 loss on the road.
Dordt opened the game with a 15–5 run in the first 10 minutes of action before Midland called a timeout. After the break, Butch Lordeus hit two three-pointers, followed by a layup, to cap an 8–2 run that cut the deficit to 17–13.
The Defenders responded with another 15–2 run to push the lead back to double digits at 32–15. Jake Orr and Dylan Simons each added a layup to break the scoring drought, and Midland closed the half on a 4–1 stretch to trail 33–19 at the break.
After intermission, Dordt opened the second half at the free-throw line before Simons answered with a three-pointer. The Defenders continued to build momentum, using a 14–2 run to extend the lead to 48–26, prompting a Midland timeout.
Out of the break, Dordt scored inside before Orr responded with a three-pointer. After another Dordt basket and timeout, Simons connected from beyond the arc to spark a brief back-and-forth stretch. Dordt later closed a run with six straight points to take a 62–37 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Simons scored on back-to-back possessions, and Dolezal added two free throws to complete a 6–0 Midland run, but Dordt answered with five straight points. Lordeus later started a 10–5 run with a three-pointer, but the Defenders maintained control, leading 73–53 with less than five minutes to play. Dordt closed the game on an 8–3 run, with Luke Friedrichsen hitting a late three-pointer as Midland fell 81–59.
For the game, Midland shot 21 of 61 (34.4%), while Dordt shot 32 of 64 (50%). The Defenders also held a 46–28 rebounding advantage.
Dylan Simons led the Warriors with 20 points, followed by Butch Lordeus with 16.
“We struggled shooting in the first half, but I thought we generated a number of open 3s. Their length and physicality bothered us, and we struggled early with the flow of the game. Our defense kept us in it early, and I thought we had a really good second half. We followed our halftime adjustments, played free and easy, and made shots. We’re still looking for more consistency within our personnel,” said head coach Tyler Erwin.
Midland (11–16, 7–12 GPAC) will have a week off before traveling to Crete, Nebraska, to face Doane University (12-14, 6-12 GPAC) in the regular-season finale. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.
