No. 16 Mustangs soar past Chargers 97-80

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In the 100th meeting between Morningside and Briar Cliff, the No. 16 Mustangs cruised to a 97-80 win Wednesday night inside Allee Gym and the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.

The Mustangs hit 58% of their shots in the first 20 minutes and finished at 49.2% in large part to Ely Doble going 10-for-11 and Joey Skoff at 10-for-16. Skoff finished with a career-high 31 points and Doble added 29 points. Doble also went 9-for-9 from the free throw line as the Mustangs hit 20-of-22 shots from the line in the game.

The Mustang offense was clicking on all cylinders Wednesday night, totaling 26 assists on 32 made field goals, and committing just nine turnovers. The Mustangs also outrebounded Briar Cliff 45-31 and grabbed 13 offensive boards. 

The Mustangs led 52-35 after a tightly contested first 10 minutes. Morningside ended the half on a 22-9 run to open up the 17-point advantage. The lead ballooned to 27 in the second half for Morningside, who never trailed by more than a possession.

Aidan Vanderloo is the 38th member of the 1,000 career points club by totaling 16 points Wednesday. He is the third Mustang to get there this season after Skoff and Doble did it a week ago Tuesday against Dordt. 

Morningside is 4-0 in GPAC play and 6-1 overall. Briar Cliff falls to 8-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. The Mustangs are off Saturday and return to action Wednesday, Dec. 6 against Jamestown.