Heartbreaker in Forest City; Warriors Fall to Waldorf on Final Shot

FOREST CITY, Iowa – Midland University opened the new year with a trip to Forest City, Iowa, to continue GPAC play against Waldorf University. In a battle of the Warriors, sophomore forward Ellie Bovaird posted a career-high 29 points, but it wasn't enough as Waldorf's Brooke Dial hit a deep shot with one second remaining to lift Waldorf to an 83-81 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) victory.

The game was tightly contested from start to finish, featuring 10 lead changes with neither team leading by double digits. The first quarter set the tone for a competitive game, with both teams trading baskets early. Bovaird scored Midland's first seven points, but a late 6-0 run by Waldorf gave the home team an 18-16 edge heading into the second quarter.

Midland responded with a 6-0 run of its own, thanks to 3-pointers from Jenna Weber and Bovaird, to reclaim the lead. Waldorf battled back to tie the game at 29 with six minutes left in the half. The teams continued trading baskets, with neither gaining more than a four-point advantage. Waldorf took a narrow 41-39 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Waldorf came out strong after the break, opening the second half with a 14-7 run to build the game's largest lead at 55-46 with under four minutes left in the third quarter. Midland countered with a 7-0 run to pull within two, but two late 3-pointers from Waldorf extended its advantage to 61-55 heading into the fourth quarter.

The home Warriors stretched their lead to nine early in the final frame, but Midland continued to chip away. Bovaird hit two more 3-pointers, and Leah Redding knocked down a pair of jump shots to cut the deficit to one with 7:30 remaining. The back-and-forth battle continued, with Midland trailing 80-79 after Weber converted a layup and drew a foul. She sank the ensuing free throw to give Midland a one-point lead with 29 seconds left.

Following a Waldorf timeout, the home team missed both free throws after a Midland foul, giving Midland a chance to extend its lead with 15 seconds remaining. With 2.6 seconds on the clock, Weber drove to the basket, drew a foul, and calmly sank both free throws to put Midland ahead 81-80.

Waldorf took another timeout to set up a final play. Dial caught the inbound pass, turned, and launched a deep 3-pointer that fell through the net with 0.6 seconds remaining. Midland grabbed the rebound but couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer, falling 83-81.

Bovaird led Midland with a career-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6%), including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc (63.6%). She also added five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Weber contributed 16 points, while Sarah Shepard pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.

Midland (1-13, 1-7 GPAC) returns home on Saturday, January 4, to host (RV) Northwestern (10-4, 6-2 GPAC) at the Wikert Event Center. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. in Fremont, Nebraska.