YANKTON, S.D. – Senior center Tyler Borchers (SR/Le Mars, IA ) (LeMars, Iowa) and senior forward Matt Hahn (SR/Fremont, NE ) (Fremont, Neb.) guided National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II top-ranked Morningside College in a 40-minute Great Plains Athletic Conference thriller Thursday, Jan. 2.
Mount Marty College, among the impressive stories of the 2019-20 NAIA D2 scene with a road win at the always-tough Worlds Only and Famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D., over No. 7-ranked Dakota Wesleyan University as part of a 13-3 overall and 5-2 loop start that helped them crash the top 25 at No. 23, proved their mettle in front of a near-capacity crowd at Laddie E. Cimpl Arena. The Lancers shot better than 50 percent from the floor which included draining 17 three-pointers to push the mighty Mustangs to the limit.
However, at the end of the evening, with the scoring reading a 91-87 win for head coach Jim Sykes squad that increased their record to 15-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference, one statistical category stood out. A 37-25 rebounding advantage was the important section and featured many Maroon standouts. Tyler Borchers, who led four players in double digits for the Maroon with 22, gathered eight; senior forward Ben Hoskins (SR/Wayne, NE ) (Wayne, Neb.), totaling another big effort from the bench with eight points, grabbed five boards; junior guard Zach Imig (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) whos nine points moved him within 25 of the 1,000-point club, also cleaned the glass with five rebounds; and the trio of Hahn, senior guard Alex Borchers (SR/South Sioux City, NE ) (South Sioux City, Iowa), and junior center Trey Brown (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) picked up four each.
Hahns four boards added to a glowing 18-point, seven-assist stat line, while Alex Borchers finished with 10 points, the four rebounds, and three assists. Brown came off the bench with nine points, his four caroms, and an assist to accentuate a perfect shooting night from the field (four-for-four). Freshman guard Will Pottebaum (FR/LeMars, IA) (LeMars, Iowa) continued to make his presence felt with his third double-figure scoring outing (11 points) to go with two rebounds and a steal.
A brief 6-0 run in the 15-minute mark of the second half gave Mside a 54-50 lead they wouldnt relinquish. MMC closed within one three times and tied it once from that point but could never regain the advantage.
The Mustangs are back home for a showdown with the No. 7-ranked Tigers of DWU Saturday, Jan. 4. Game time inside Allee Gymnasium of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center is 4 p.m.
NOTES: Tyler Borchers moved past former teammate Brody Egger on the all-time scoring list, taking over No. 4 (1,684). Hes registered double-figure points in five straight contests and 10 of his last 11 appearances … Alex Borchers, who is a point shy of 1200 for his career, has moved into No. 20 on the all-time points list and can climb into 19th with two points and into 17th with 20-or-more this weekend.
YANKTON, S.D. – Senior forward/center Sydney Hupp wont soon forget two of the points that helped her move alone into the number 14 slot on the all-time scoring list.
Neither will her Mustang teammates or a persistent host side from Mount Marty College that battled tooth and nail for 40 minutes inside Laddie E. Cimpl Arena on MMCs campus Thursday, Jan. 2. Hupps 12th and 13 digits of a near double-double of 13 points and nine rebounds which included two blocked shots and two assists occurred on a fade-away jumper as the clock hit four zeroes in the second half. As the ball gently slipped through the net, head coach Jamie Sales squad averted a second successive defeat and kept firm hold of third place on the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings with a 64-62 win.
A bucket that concluded a back-and-forth affair throughout. The host Lancers made it clear it wouldnt be easy for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II No. 7-ranked squad to leave southeastern South Dakota with a win from the get-go, scoring 15 of the first 23 points. Mside (12-4 overall, 7-2 GPAC) responded with a 19-5 run of its own and the contest saw traded leads from that point right down until Hupps winning shot.
Junior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) and sophomore guard Taylor Rodenburgh (Hawarden, Iowa) added key stat lines. Mitchell scored 14 points, dished out two assists and picked up a steal, and Rodenburgh, resuming her super-sub status, scored 14 points to tie for the team lead and corralled six rebounds. Other big numbers on the final totals came from freshman guard Olivia Larsen (Newell, Iowa) (six rebounds, four steals, eight points) and junior guard Grace Meyer (Pomeroy, Iowa) (five rebounds).
Morningside continues a hectic early January, facing off against fellow NAIA D2 top 15 foe Dakota Wesleyan University Saturday, Jan. 4. Game time is 2 p.m. on the Allee Gymnasium floor of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center.
NOTE: Mitchell has moved up one spot on the all-time points list (No. 24 – 1,175) due to recent successes. Its due, in large part, to a sparkling roll of 13 straight games with two-or-more made three-point baskets.
