FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University’s women’s basketball team rallied for a come-from-behind win over No. 22 Dordt University on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors ended a three-game losing streak thanks to solid shooting from long distance, defeating the Defenders by a score of 87-81. With the win, Midland improves to 2-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and 5-5 overall. The loss, Dordt’s third in a row, drops them to 6-5 on the season and 1-4 in conference play.
The Warriors grabbed the lead early into the first quarter as Peyton Wingert hit a layup to start the game and while they led the entire first quarter, the Defenders were right behind them. Midland’s lead maxed out at six in the ten minutes.
In the second quarter, Wingert put the offense on her back garnering 15 of the team’s 17 points to keep them within striking distance going into the break, down 42-41.
After trading baskets to start the third quarter, Dordt went on a 15-6 run to extend their lead to 10 during a stretch of over five minutes. The run began with a Defender layup at the 7:45 mark and was halted at the 2:15 mark by a Sam Shepard three-pointer. That basket sparked a 19-4 run by the Warriors that carried over well into the final quarter.
At the 6:51 mark, Midland had erased their deficit completely as Emma Shepard made good on two free throws. The Shepard sisters had 10 of the 19 in the run and finished with a combined 33 points.
Dordt recovered and worked their way to a tie in the game at 73-73, but free throws sealed the win for the Warriors on their home court.
Wingert and Sam Shepard had season-highs 26 and 21 points. Erin Prusa and Emma Shepard joined them in double digits with 14 and 12 points respectively.
Midland (5-5, 2-3 GPAC) will host Hastings (6-5, 2-3 GPAC) this coming Wednesday in their final home game of the semester and calendar year. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. inside Wikert Event Center on December 8.
