Morningside Men and Women beat Hastings

Morningside Men and Women beat Hastings
February 14th, 2022 | Morningside Athletics

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – As the calendar continues to advance towards the 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason championships, the final games of the regular season grow more and more in stature.

Faced with two such contests Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11 and 12, head coach Trent Miller’s Mustangs picked up an essential split, stopping a three-game skid. Miller’s crew had to pick itself up by its bootstraps after a white-knuckle Friday night ride against the University of Jamestown concluded with a 103-95 overtime loss at Allee Gymnasium of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. They did just that to the home crowd’s delight Saturday afternoon, scoring 19 of the first 27 points against Hastings College as part of an 81-64 victory.

Senior guard Zach Imig found himself in the statistical spotlight over the weekend’s course. He was just off the triple-double mark in both contests, especially Friday, producing 19 points, eight steals, nine rebounds, and five assists versus the Jimmies. He returned with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals against the Broncos Saturday. Sophomore guard Aidan Vanderloo (Sioux City, Iowa) posted 17 points against Jamestown, followed by sophomore guard Jack Dotzler (Omaha, Neb.) with 14. Dotzler, wrapping up a 24-point two-game effort, and sophomore forward/center Ely Doble (Gretna, Neb.) scored 10 points apiece. Junior forward Trey Powers (Omaha, Neb.) compiled 11 points, most of which occurred during the early-game run versus Hastings.

Morningside (13-10 overall, 10-8 GPAC) goes into the last week of the 2021-22 regular season just a game of a fifth-place tie between Dordt University and Northwestern College and only a game and a half behind third-place Jamestown. They face off against Dakota Wesleyan University Wednesday, Feb. 16, with a 7:45 p.m. tip-off at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – From wire to wire.

Fourteen weekends removed from a 73-63 win over Dakota Wesleyan University, Morningside University put the finishing touches on the 2021-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season championship Saturday, Feb. 12. Buoyed by three players winding up in double digits, head coach Jamie Sale’s Mustangs, ranked No. 9 on the current National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics poll, held visiting Hastings College below 10 points in three of four quarters en route to a 69-38 victory inside Allee Gymnasium of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center.

When the clock struck four zeroes, an enthusiastic home crowd was treated to a trophy ceremony for the 11th time overall and second straight campaign. The win, improving Mside’s record to 23-4 and 18-2 in the league, was spotlighted by 16 points from senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa); a near-miss triple-double compiled by senior forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) of 10 points, nine assists and eight rebounds; and senior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (Hawarden, Iowa) who came off the bench to score 10 points which marked her 11th double-digit outing of the season.

Beyond the conference championship, another bit of history entered the doors of the RSC during the weekend set. As part of an 80-59 victory over the University of Jamestown Friday, Feb. 11, Mitchell canned her 498th and 499th career made three-pointers making her the most prolific long-range shooter in any collegiate division. She and Peppers both led the way past the Jimmies, with Mitchell totaling 20 points and Peppers producing a double-double of 22 points and ten boards.

Morningside, harboring three successive victories and a 15-1 record over the last 16 contests, takes to the road for the final time in the regular season Wednesday, Feb. 16. They visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D., for a 6 p.m. start against DWU. 

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