Balancing Act - Morningside expands GPAC lead

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A recipe for success.

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II top-ranked Morningside College likes to turn to a balanced attack when possible. Saturday, Jan. 4, was no different.

Head coach Jim Sykes' team put four in scoring double figures and bounced back from a slow start to overcome visiting and NAIA D2 No. 7-ranked Dakota Wesleyan University 74-60. Junior guard Zach Imig (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) continued his best Swiss army knife impersonation, tallying 15 points, grabbing six rebounds, picking off five steals, dishing out two assists and blocking a shot. He led the points column along with senior guard Alex Borchers (SR/South Sioux City, NE ) (South Sioux City, Neb.) who finished with 15, too, which included a key five-of-six effort at the charity stripe to add to three assists and three boards. Senior center Tyler Borchers (SR/Le Mars, IA ) (LeMars, Iowa), who was relatively quiet early on, did hit double figures again with 10 points, due to a five-of-seven second-half field goal shooting line. Senior forward Ben Hoskins (SR/Wayne, NE ) topped the bench with 11 points, including a perfect three-for-three late afternoon/early evening, to go along with six rebounds. Junior center Trey Brown (JR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) added another strong stat line for the bench with eight points and four rebounds.

Early on, it looked as if the Tigers might make things less than memorable for their hosts in front of a near-capacity crowd inside Allee Gymnasium and the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. DWU scored 12 of the first 15 points for a nine-point margin over the opening four minutes. Morningside, moving to 16-0 overall and 9-0 in the conference and increasing their loop lead to two and a half games, took off on a 19-0 run from that point and didn't look back, as DWU closed to within as little as three but couldn't get over the hump.

The Maroon resume four in a row at home, welcoming Nebraska Christian College of the United States Christian College Athletic Conference Wednesday, Jan. 8. Game time is 7 p.m.

NOTES: Imig closed within 10 of the 1,000-point club … Alex Borchers moved over the 1,200-point career mark during the contest.