FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted its final home game of the 2022-23 season against Dakota Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. Prior to the game, seniors Emanuel Bryson and Samuel Mailloux were honored along with their families. Those in attendance were treated to a closely contested game that featured 18 lead changes. The Warriors’ defense turned into offense in the final minutes of the game as they came away with the 68-64 win. Midland moves up to double-digit wins at 10-15 and their mark goes to 4-14 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Dakota Wesleyan drops to 12-14 overall and 8-10 in the conference.
Trading baskets characterized the first 20 minutes, as no team’s run was over six points before the other team answered with a run of their own. Dominic Humm and Jake Orr drained back-to-back baskets as Midland took the lead 14-13. The freshmen duo led the Warriors in points (six each) in the first half.
The Tigers gained their points from beyond the arc, while MU garnered its extra points off steals to keep them within the long-distance shooting. The teams matched each other with 13 made field goals before the break as DWU held a 31-29 lead on the scoreboard.
Midland came out of the locker room with a set play to get the ball to the rim as Orr finished off the glass with the and-one bucket to take the lead. At the 13:00 mark, Jake Rueschhoff and Colton Uhing sparked an 11-2 run that put the Warriors up seven points, matching their largest lead of the day.
Blaze Lubbers helped the Tigers roar back into the lead, 60-59, on a 12-4 run. He had six points during the scoring stretch and finished with 13 on the day.
With the clock ticking down into the final four minutes, Ryan Larsen took an inbound pass from Rueschhoff. He made a move into a reverse layup for the lead. Bryson put the Warriors ahead by two with a free throw on after stealing the ball on defense.
After a couple of possessions drained the clock down to under a minute, Orr received the ball at the top of the key, stormed into the paint, and spun away from the rim and the defender. He hit the jumper to put Midland up four with 25 seconds to go. DWU trimmed the lead back down to two with a pair of foul shots but Humm would solidify the margin with a pair of his own to the Warriors’ Senior Day win in Wikert.
Larsen was a rock on the defensive boards with 10 rebounds, and 14 points attained on the night. Orr, Rueschhoff, and Humm had 13, 10, and 10 points respectively for a balance Midland attack. Bryson filled the stat sheet in his final home game, collecting nine points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Head coach Tyler Erwin had this to say about his team’s play down the stretch. “He (Orr) can get to the rim on about anybody, but I told him he could set his feet, spin back, and he did it well on the final play.”
On Seniors graduating, Coach Erwin added. “Manny and Sam were all in from day one. Their leadership in practice, games, and in the community…When guys are not just well-liked on campus, but in the community as well, then it really rings the bell for me. Sam and Manny are a huge part of this program and our basketball family.”
Midland (10-15, 4-14 GPAC) will complete their final two games of the season away from home as they will travel to Hastings (13-13, 6-12 GPAC) on Wednesday night before wrapping up the season in Sioux City, Iowa next Saturday. Tip-off will begin at 7:45 p.m. on February 15 against the Broncos inside Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Nebraska.
FREMONT, Neb – Midland University played host to Dakota Wesleyan University inside Wikert Event Center on Senior Day Saturday. In the last home game of the season, second-quarter struggles doomed the Warriors as they fell to the Tigers, 86-52.
Erin Prusa got the Warriors started in the first with a layup. The Tigers quickly responded with a three-pointer and a jumper as the teams went back and forth early on. A 6-0 run gave DWU a nine-point lead with just under three to go in the quarter. Midland would score the final five points of the quarter, a three-pointer and layup by Emma Shepard to make it 19-14 after one quarter.
Asia Bryant went on a personal 4-0 run to start the second, cutting the Tigers’ lead down to one. That would end up being the last time they were within a basket as DWU responded with an 11-0 run and outscored the Warriors 20-9 in the quarter to make it 39-23 heading into the half.
After the intermission, the Tigers continued to boost their lead up to 20 points early on. Looking to break the deficit, Prusa scored a jumper to get the momentum started. Both teams went back and forth on baskets, matching each other’s points. Dakota Wesleyan ended the third with a 12-2 run and led 66-37 after three.
In the final 10 minutes, the Warriors battled it out. They had their best quarter of the game scoring 15 points, nearly matching the Tigers’ output of 20. The scoring and defensive struggles of the middle two quarters were too much to overcome as Midland fell 86-52 in its home finale.
Leading the team in scoring on the day were three seniors. Prusa had 10 points while Lexi Kraft finished with 9 points and Sam Shepard scored 8 points to go with a team-high 9 rebounds.
For the game, Midland shot 20-for-58 (34.5%), while Dakota Wesleyan shot 34-for-68 (50%). One of the telling stats of the day was the Tigers’ ability to force 19 turnovers which translated to 26 points. They also outrebounded the Warriors, 45-28, and had a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Midland (4-21, 2-17 GPAC) will travel to Hasting, Nebraska next week to take on Hastings (9-17, 5-14 GPAC). The matchup will take place on Wednesday, February 15, with tipoff at 6:00 p.m.
