Midland Men and Women split with Briar Cliff

December 14th, 2020 | Beth Rogers

FREMONT, Neb. — Midland University was back in action after a week off on Saturday afternoon as they faced Briar Cliff University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup. The Warriors were stellar on the offensive end but were edged by a Briar Cliff side that also shot very well, 88-83. With the loss Midland falls to 3-8 overall and 1-7 in conference play while BCU improves to 5-6 and 3-4 in the GPAC.

The first half was highlighted by the scoring prowess of what seemed to be every player who stepped on the court. The two sides combined to have eleven players score at least five points in the half and both sides shot well above 50% from the field.

The Warriors shot 18-of-32 (56.3%) and were led by freshman forward Colby Tichota who had nine points and did not miss a shot in the half (4-of-4). Some miscues on the defensive end held the Warriors back from capitalizing on their great offensive half as the Chargers shot 19-of-28 (67.9%) from the field and 9-of-13 (69.2%) from the arc. The Chargers held a narrow 49-43 lead at the break.

A quick 12-6 run to start the second half by the Warriors forced a tie at 55 apiece less than four minutes in. However, the Chargers would respond with a run of their own. They outscored the Warriors 15-6 to take their biggest lead of the game, 70-61, just before the midway point.

Unwilling to give up, the Warriors made quick work of the deficit with four consecutive three-pointers by guards Laurence MerrittJake Rueschhoff, and Tanner DeKock. Their efforts would tie the game at 75 apiece and then a Rueschhoff layup would give Midland their first lead since early in the game with 6:26 to go.

The two sides traded the lead back and forth over the next three minutes before two layups by Briar Cliff gave them an 84-81 lead with 2:40 to go. With just 36 seconds remaining junior Bo Sandquist would knock down a jump shot to cut the lead to just one and after a pair of Chargers free throws, the Warriors would get a chance to tie.

Unfortunately, they would turn the ball over with an offensive foul. A pair of free throws by BCU would seal the game for the Chargers, 88-83.

The Warriors were led in scoring by sophomore Jake Rueschhoff who had a season-high 22 points and senior Laurence Merritt with 19 points.

Midland (3-8, 1-7 GPAC) will be back on the court once more at home this calendar year as they host Concordia (9-3, 6-2 GPAC) on Tuesday, December 15 in a GPAC matchup. The game is set to tip-off at 8:00 p.m. at Wikert Event Center in Fremont.

 

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland Universitys womens basketball team was able to pull out a win against the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) standings leader, Briar Cliff University, with a final score of 63-54 on Saturday afternoon.

Out of the gates, the Chargers went on a fast 8-0 run. Midland answered though, hitting shots of their own, narrowing BCUs quick advantage. At the end of the first quarter, the Chargers held a 15-12 lead.

In the second, Midland came out and hit several key shots. They would outshoot the Chargers by 15 percent, helping them be more successful in the quarter. Going into halftime Midland garnered a 31-26 lead, outscoring the Chargers 19-11 in the quarter. Peyton Wingert would be the Warriors lead scorer with 12 points at the break.

In the third quarter, both teams saw their offenses continue to struggle. They combined to make just 12 shots between them as Midland built their largest lead at 44-33 at the end of the period.

The fourth saw BCU battle back to tie the game with four minutes to go with a 16-5 run. However, they would never take the lead as Sam Shepard would get a layup that was followed by a Lexis Haase three-pointer to give Midland a five point lead again, 54-49. The two teams would trade baskets down the stretch before the Chargers were forced to foul late. Lexi Kraft sealed the victory with three clutch free throws for the nine-point win, 63-54.

Wingert led the team in scoring, finishing with 19 points. Kraft had11 points while Shepard had 10 to round out the Warriors double-digit scorers. Makenna Sullivan finished with a game-high 13 rebounds to go with seven points.

The Warriors won the turnover battle 14 to 18. They also outrebounded the Chargers, 50 to 47.

Midland (9-2, 6-2 GPAC) will have a week to prepare to host No. 11 Concordia (6-5, 5-3 GPAC). Theyll tipoff at 6:00 p.m. inside Wikert Event Center on Tuesday, December 15. The Warriors won the first meeting of the season, 91-79 back on November 10.

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