SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The long-range shooting arsenal from Great Plains Athletic Conference eighth-seeded Hastings College proved the difference in 2020 loop postseason action Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The Broncos drained 13 of 31 three-point attempts to keep Mside at arms length. Head coach Jim Sykes squad got out to another strong start, scoring 15 of the first 23 points, but a quick 6-0 run from HC trimmed the margin to one and set up a close-knit contest the rest of the way. Even with Hastings shooting better than 52 percent overall and over 40 percent from outside the arc, the three-time defending regular-season champions had chances down to the final moments. Trailing 82-80, a missed shot by Hastings glanced off the rim but back to their possession with just 13 ticks left, and Logan Cale iced the finish by canning two free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining.
Senior center Tyler Borchers (SR/Le Mars, IA ) (LeMars, Iowa), behind a 19-point, 10-rebound, four-assist stat line, added more history to an already stellar collegiate resume. He moved into first by himself on the programs career rebounding list (921) and became only the fourth player in school history to reach the 1,900-point mark. Junior forward Zach Imig (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) added another solid evening with 13 points, seven assists, a blocked shot and six rebounds; freshman guard Will Pottebaum (FR/LeMars, IA) (LeMars, Iowa) posted 12 points; senior forward Matt Hahn (SR/Fremont, NE ) (Fremont, Neb.), who joined the programs 1,000-point club, tallied 11 points and grabbed eight boards; and junior center Trey Brown (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) came off the bench for a 10-point total.
Morningside (26-3) now awaits their pairing and bracket information for the 2020 NAIA Division II Championships.
