40-Minute Fight - Mside pushes defending national champions

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A pair of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Division II top 10 programs and Great Plains Athletic Conference powers went nose-to-nose in a white-knuckle ride at Allee Gymnasium at Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center Saturday, Jan. 26.

Morningside College, No. 9 on the current poll, gave visiting Dakota Wesleyan University, the D2 national champions and currently fourth-ranked squad, all it could handle before the Tigers held on late for an 82-76 decision. The largest advantage cobbled together by either team was 16 by DWU in the second stanza, but, just as happened throughout the contest whenever a lead was forged, the opposition managed to come back.

Despite a third successive loss that dropped them to 17-7 overall and 9-7 in the league, balanced scoring keyed Mside's attack. Sophomore guard Sierra Mitchell (SO/Pleasant Hill, IA) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) drilled five three-pointers, increasing her personal streak of games with a three-point bucket to 37, in route to a game-high 25 points, and junior forward/center Sydney Hupp (JR/O'Neill, NE) (O'Neill, Neb.) finished with 24 points to go with five rebounds to top the scoring column. Junior guard Jordyn Moser (JR/Harlan, IA) (Harlan, Iowa) added 11 as part of a game line that included four assists and four steals, and sophomore guard Faith Meyer (SO/Pomeroy, IA ) (Pomeroy, Iowa) led the bench figures with 10 to end a strong afternoon's effort that included five rebounds and a pair of steals.

The point-counterpoint theme was seen in a noticeable ebb and flow. Head coach Jamie Sale's crew pieced together the first answer, rallying from a five-point deficit late in the first quarter to take a 27-24 lead after Moser hit a three-pointer much to the joy of the home crowd. Dakota Wesleyan countered by scoring 17 of the final 22 points in the first half for a 41-32 halftime lead. The visitors upped that ante to 15 (57-42) before the Maroon reeled off eight in a row towards the end of the third quarter to trail only 59-50 going into the final stanza. Morningside whittled their disadvantage to as little as six (61-55) before DWU used its patented three-point shooting and tough half-court defense to develop a 10-0 stretch. The never-say-die Mustangs charged back, getting it down to two possessions (80-74) with 15 seconds left but could get no closer.

Mside takes to the road Wednesday, Jan. 30, for a 6 p.m. tip-off at Midland University. The clash versus the Warriors begins two in a row away from Allee.