Mustangs go wire-to-wire to earn 20th win of season

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — For the eighth time in the last nine seasons, the Morningside University men's basketball team reached the 20-win mark.

RV Morningside (20-5, 13-4 GPAC) did so Saturday by beating Hastings 69-58 at Allee Gymnasium, completing the season sweep over the Broncos.

"What I was really happy about was how our guys found ways to be successful," said head coach Trent Miller. "We pushed the ball in transition, we got to the free throw line, and I thought we were really good on the offensive glass."

The Mustangs jumped out to a 9-0 start and never looked back, leading from start to finish. Justin Sitti — who led with 15 points — scored seven in that nine-point scurry, while Brendan Buckley chipped in the other two on a layup.

Hastings crept back to a six-point deficit, but the Mustangs extended their lead to 13 at halftime. Morningside led by double digits throughout the entirety of the second half.

"I was very proud of our team defense," Miller said. "We're moving in the right direction on that side of the ball. We're going to need it for these last three games. We want to continue to build on that, and that's why we've been successful over these last seven games."

Morningside made 25 of 59 shots throughout the win, and it hit seven 3-pointers as well as 12 of 14 free throws. Joey Skoff was the most frequent visitor to the free-throw line, making 7 of 8.

Skoff had 13 points, while Buckley scored 12 and Aidan Vanderloo 10. Combined, those three men made 12 shots. Vanderloo made two 3s.

Four different Mustangs — Brocaille, Sitti, Vanderloo and Alex Wilcoxson — recorded three assists.

The Mustangs won the rebounding battle, 41-29. Buckley had nine, Daniel Brocaille and Justin Sitti collected seven, and Skoff six.