Mustangs dominate the paint to put away Warriors

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside women lit up Allee Gym with 104 points Tuesday night — and the Mustang men decided to match it. Morningside hit the same total in a 104-84 win over Waldorf to cap a high-scoring night on campus.

The Mustangs (5-4, 3-1 GPAC) wasted little time finding their rhythm, shooting 24-for-35 in the first half and building a 52–33 lead. Morningside finished the night at an efficient 67 percent from the field and a perfect 15-for-15 at the free-throw line, continuing a trend of strong offensive flow over the past week.

The Mustangs dominated the interior with a 68–38 advantage in points in the paint, and they turned 17 Waldorf turnovers into 26 points.

"I thought our guys were very efficient, and I think it all started in the paint," said head coach Trent Miller on the KMNS-AM postgame show. "To win games, you have to be versatile. We don't have to rely on the 3-ball. You have to be able to score in a number of ways. Hopefully this gives us some confidence going into our next game."

Senior guard Caleb Dreckman powered the scoring effort with 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting, adding five assists and a pair of steals. Alex Wilcoxson was steady throughout, scoring 19 points and going a flawless 11-for-11 at the line, while Kaden Van Regenmorter added 11 points and four rebounds. Tyson Odvody connected on five shots and two free throws, good for a 12-point night.

Sophomore Fitzy Grant delivered a major lift off the bench, scoring 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and giving the Mustangs an energy burst during both halves.

"It was nice to see him take off," Miller said. "I really loved how he played. He played at the rim. He was playing so tough and was such a good finisher."

Morningside's best stretch came midway through the second half, when stops turned into quick scores from Dreckman, Wilcoxson, and Van Regenmorter to push the lead past 20.

Morningside will look to keep that momentum rolling when it returns to Allee Gym on Dec. 3 for a key GPAC matchup against Northwestern.