Six Straight - Late run concludes unbeaten Classic

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A hard-nosed defensive battle spotlighted the final game of the 2018 Delta Hotels by Marriott Classic Sunday, Dec. 30.

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Division II eighth-ranked Morningside College pieced together a 16-5 stretch over the final 4:50 to ensure a 74-62 victory over a scrappy Grand View College squad hailing from the NAIA's Division I. A winter break crowd of 300 fans saw sophomore guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) and junior forward/center Sydney Hupp (O'Neill, Neb.) produce more strong offensive results to guide head coach Jamie Sale's squad to a sixth straight win that moved their season record to 13-3.

Battling through a less than stellar field goal shooting afternoon, Mitchell, the team's leading scorer, still managed to wind up just a tenth off her season scoring average. She tallied 19 points while dishing out two assists and grabbing three rebounds. Hupp added 13, grabbed four boards and blocked a Vikings' shot attempt. Mitchell found double-digit territory for the 13^th time in 16 appearances this season, while Hupp did the same for an 11^th outing.

Sale's bench also played a key role. Senior forward/center Alex Gill (Omaha, Neb.) made things difficult for Grand View's post players throughout, totaling seven rebounds, blocking two shot attempts and grabbing two steals to go with seven points. Freshman forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) added six points and six board, and sophomore guard Grace Meyer (Pomeroy, Iowa) joined fellow sophomore guard Mady Maly (Wahoo, Neb.) with five points apiece.

The Mustangs return to Great Plains Athletic Conference action Wednesday, Jan. 2. They face off against defending Division II champion Dakota Wesleyan University in a 6 p.m. tip-off at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.