SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Midland University traveled to Ray Nacke Court as they went toe-to-toe with familiar conference foe, Briar Cliff University, on Saturday afternoon. The Chargers used shots from beyond the arc to keep the Warriors at arm’s length as they come up short 75-70. Midland drops to 4-9 overall and 0-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Briar Cliff improves to 6-5 overall and 2-4 in the GPAC.
The Warriors started out strong with an 11-5 run to begin the game in Sioux City before the Chargers answered with a 9-3 run of their own to tie the game at 14.
Briar Cliff went on a 12-0 run to get some separation as Nathan Hall and Nick Hoyt led the Chargers in the run, putting them up 32-21. The Warriors pulled to within eight before halftime with Jake Orr contributing 11 points in the opening period.
After the intermission, the teams traded shot for shot until the 12:11 mark when the Warriors went on a 12-6 run to cut the lead to one. Kobe Shannon and Jake Rueschhoff powered the run as Rueschhoff took over offensively with 13 points in the second half.
Briar Cliff answered with an 8-0 run to go up nine with under two minutes to go. Midland tightened up defensively but was unable to force enough turnovers to complete the comeback falling short.
Head coach Tyler Erwin had this to say about his team’s performance. “First of all, we shot the ball better tonight. Especially from three-point percentage. Rueschhoff had a good night with 8-of-10 shooting. At times we settled a little bit and didn’t have quality possessions but if we can just limit those, we can become more consistent.”
Orr led the Warriors in points and rebounds, just two boards shy of a double-double with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Rueschhoff and Shannon entered double-digit scoring as well with 17 and 13, respectively. Ryan Larsen led the defense with five steals on the night.
Midland (4-9) will take a break from its regular season with an exhibition at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (3-7) next Tuesday. The Warriors will tip-off against the Mavericks at 12:05 p.m. on December 13 in Omaha. Coach Erwin was an assistant coach at UNO for 13 years before stepping into the head coach position at Midland this season.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Midland University traveled up to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on Briar Cliff University in a Great Athletic Plains Conference (GPAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors battled hard but took a tough loss on the road, 59-91, to the Chargers. The loss drops Midland to 0-7 in the GPAC and 2-9 overall. The Chargers improve their record to 5-2 GPAC and 8-3 overall.
The Chargers took the early advantage against the Warriors as they were the first to put points on the board, leading 5-0. Kennedy Darner got Midland started with a jumper as they started to work their way back into the game. BCU kept them at bay, pulling away with multiple baskets, and took 24-10 at the end of the first.
Sam Shepard started the momentum for the Warriors in the second with a jump shot. The teams traded points through the early stages of the second before things began to snowball in favor of the Chargers. Briar Cliff was able to maintain their double-digit lead throughout the quarter with the Warriors trailing 30-46 at halftime.
After the intermission, the Warriors’ shooting slowed as the Chargers kept theirs at a steady pace. The Warriors were only able to put 12 points on the board as the Chargers doubled up, scoring 28 points and held a 32-point lead of 74-42 into the final quarter to play.
Despite their ability to keep up with the Chargers in the fourth, as both teams put up 17 points, the damage was already done in the previous quarter. Briar Cliff picked up the conference win, shooting 52% from the field in its 91-59 home victory.
For the game, Midland shot 20-for-48 (41.7%). The Chargers took advantage of second-chance baskets, outscoring the Warriors 13-6, and added 21 points off 22 turnovers.
Rubie Klausen led the way offensively with 10 points, followed by Sarah Shepard and Kennedy Darner with 7 points each. Klausen also added a team-high four steals. Leading the way in rebounding were Sarah Shepard and Darner with three each.
Midland (2-9, 0-7 GPAC) will be back in action on Wednesday night with a road game at the College of Saint Mary (3-8, 1-6 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at the Lied Fitness Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
