Season Comes to a Close for Warriors with Overtime Loss at No. 21 Concordia

SEWARD, Neb. – Midland University took a short trip to Seward, Nebraska for its final game of the 2023-2024 season at Concordia University. The game, which saw 11 ties and 19 lead changes, kept the fans on edge throughout the game. After playing to a 73-73 tie in regulation, the Warriors came up short, falling to the Bulldogs by a final score of 90-84 in overtime.

Jake Rueschhoff kicked off the game with a three-pointer, prompting a swift response from Concordia with consecutive layups. Ryan Larsen played a crucial role in shifting momentum for the Warriors by sinking a three-pointer, initiating a 10-3 run. As the teams engaged in a back-and-forth exchange of baskets, the Bulldogs moved in front 18-17 with just under 12 minutes to go in the first period.

The competitive spirit persisted as Concordia managed to establish a four-point lead. Midland countered with a 6-0 run that was spearheaded by Colton Uhing, to reclaim the lead. Intense pressure persisted as both teams traded points. As the half came to a completion, the Warriors held a slim 40-37 lead.

After the intermission, the Bulldogs surged with a 6-0 run. The Warriors countered with a 6-2 run, with Derek Merwick scoring four points alongside two from Uhing. The teams traded three-pointers as the game moved to a 51-51 tie.

As the play continued to go back and forth, Concordia went on a 7-2 run to claim a 67-63 lead with 3:40 left. Rece Kissinger converted a layup, followed by a pair of clutch free throws by Rueschhoff to level the score at 67-67. Concordia briefly took the lead with a layup, but Merwick responded with a layup of his own to tie the game and send it into overtime, 73-73.

In the extra session, the Bulldogs surged with an 11-3 run behind a trio of three-pointers. Rueschhoff and Merwick countered with baskets as the Warriors' fight never yielded. A jumper by Merwick narrowed the gap to a four-point game with 24 seconds left but the Bulldogs were able to seal the game with free throws down the stretch, winning 90-84 to secure a share of the GPAC regular-season title.

Derek Merwick led the Warriors with 32 points and 8 rebounds. Jake Rueschhoff contributed 14 points while Jeffrey Rozelle III and Nick Dolezal each had 8 points.

For the game, Midland shot 33-of-73 (45.2%) while Concordia went 30-of-65 (46.2%). The Bulldogs were aided by 11 three-pointers, three coming at the start of overtime, while the Warriors made just 5 three-pointers on 18 attempts. Midland won the rebounding battle, 42 to 37.

"I'm so proud of this team, especially the way that we finished our last two games," said head coach Tyler Erwin. "We made great progress this year with our team, our culture, and our resiliency. We fought to the end. It was an emotional locker room after the game because of what Jake [Rueschhoff] has done for this program. He will be missed in a lot of ways. Very few guys in my 24 years of coaching have put up percentages like him this year. 50% FG, 40% 3FG, and 90% FT are tremendous numbers. That's called a 180 shooter in basketball terms, and that's special.

"In the off-season, we must build upon the offensive success as a team. Derek had a really good first year in the league, and we look forward to building around his true point guard abilities. Defense will be a word heard early, loud, and often in our locker room moving forward. We must take a step on that side of the court. Learning from each game situation, we must and will grow. Our many close losses will fuel this team moving forward."

Midland ends its season with a 10-18 overall record and a 5-15 mark in conference. The team will look to make strides in the offseason as they build around their solid group of returners.