It was a back-and-forth game from the opening tip until the final horn with 20 lead changes and 15 ties. The Warriors had the game's largest lead of seven points (25-18) with six minutes left in the opening half but the Beavers held the slight 37-35 lead at the half. Freshman Shane Bierle took a pass from Hayes and drilled a three to spark the late surge by BVU before Hayes made a triple of his own the next time down the court off an assist from Bierle. Sievers made the go-ahead jump shot with under 20 seconds remaining in the period after the Warriors had tied it at 35-35.
Both teams shot nearly 50 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes despite combining to make only 6-of-21 from downtown. The efficiency carried over into the second half with Midland connecting on 53.6 percent from the floor and BVU shooting 45.2 percent.
Defensively, the Beavers forced Midland into 18 turnovers in the game while making only 11 of their own. The two sides did combine for 43 fouls and attempted a combined 58 free-throws.
Anthony Simon scored 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-2 from downtown and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe, to lead Midland (0-1). Jeff Rozelle III followed with 19 points and six rebounds and Jake Orr chipped in with 18 points and nine boards.
Both team's squared off last year in Fremont, Neb., in what was also an exhibition for BVU. The Warriors won that game, 96-63.
Buena Vista will tip-off its regular season by hosting the Central Bank Classic on Nov. 14-15. The Beavers open against the College of St. Scholastica on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
