Second half success allows Mside to impress in road league opener

CRETE, NEB. – It was a true tale of two halves for Morningside University Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs, ranked No. 12 on the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics poll, had to overcome a white-hot first 20 minutes from host Doane University. The Tigers, stalking an early-season Great Plains Athletic Conference upset, converted at better than 70 percent in the first period and were able to extend that into the second for a 43-41 halftime advantage on their home floor inside the George and Sally Haddix Recreation Center.

Enter halftime stage left and adjustments for the visitors. The storyline turned out to be completely flipped in the final 20, as Mside, improving to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the league behind a 91-68 victory, hit a red-hot 61.9 percent clip over the third frame to overtake their hosts in contrast to a difficult field goal resume for Doane as they were below 35 percent over the final two periods. Those facts spotlighted a 50-25 run.

Senior guard Taylor Rodenburgh (Hawarden, Iowa) was the engine propelling the Mustangs. She tied a single-game personal scoring best for the second time in the young 2021-22 campaign with 29 points, 22 of which occurred in the third quarter. Sophomore center Chloe Lofstrom (Armstrong, Iowa), senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), and sophomore guard Alexis Spier (Gretna, Neb.) also wound up in double digits. Lofstrom tallied 12 points and nine rebounds; Mitchell went for 16 points and dished off seven assists; and Spier finished with 10 points.

Morningside continues its 2021-22 GPAC slate Wednesday, Dec. 1, hosting Concordia University. Game time is 6 p.m. on the Allee Gymnasium floor of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center.