The Doane men's basketball team continues to jockey for position in the GPAC Tournament and after Wednesday evening's victory over Midland Lutheran, Doane is one win away from hosting in the First Round. The Tigers topped the Warriors, 63-54. Midland Lutheran jumped out to a four-point advantage early on in the game only to see the Tigers come back with a 13-5 run to take a five point lead midway through the first stanza. Austin Benson had eight points during the run for the Tigers, including a pair of three-point baskets. The Warriors, however, had an answer with a 9-0 run to take a 27-23 lead. Jason Ahrens posted five of the points during the MLC run. Doane's response, a 15-4 run to end the half as the Tigers led 38-31 at halftime.
The Tigers never trailed in the second half, leading by 11 points on three occasions. Midland Lutheran was able to cut the lead to five points at 46-41 but was unable to pull any closer.
Tyler Cyboron led the Tigers with 12 points, going 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Jake Johnson added 11 points and three assists for Doane. Jens Scholl and Zach Moult led the Tigers with six rebounds apiece.
Midland Lutheran was paced by Brandon Mach's 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Alex Knobbe added 11 points off the bench while Justin Kulwicki picked up 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
For the Tigers, a win on Saturday at home versus Dordt College would give the squad a home game on February 23 in the First Round of the GPAC Tournament. A loss and the Tigers will have to wait and see what happens with Morningside and Dana to find out their postseason destination.