GPAC tournament trail winds down

HASTINGS, NEB. – A tough-luck shooting afternoon at Hastings College's Lynn Farrell Arena Saturday, Feb. 29, saw National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II No. 8-ranked Morningside College's bid for the 2020 Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason tournament championship game fall short.

The third-seeded Mustangs got down to the host and No. 4-ranked NAIA DII Broncos 10-0 out of the gate and never recovered. HC, the tourney's second seed, continue to increase their margin at each turn, leading by as much as 24 before settling for the 66-45 victory. The final carried them into a rubber match with league regular-season champion and rival Concordia University Tuesday, March 3, for the loop tournament title.

Head coach Jamie Sale's squad, dropping to 23-9, was led by sophomore forward Sophia Peppers (SO/Exira, IA) (Exira, Iowa) and junior guard Sierra Mitchell (JR/Pleasant Hill, IA) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), each of whom wound up in double figures scoring-wise. Peppers tallied 15 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Mitchell, upping her streak of games with multiple three-point baskets to 29, wound up with 10. Junior forwards Faith and Grace Meyer (JR/Pomeroy, IA) (Pomeroy, Iowa) didn't get in the double-digit point column but did both compile five-or-more rebounds (Faith seven, Grace five), and Faith dished out a co-team-high three assists.

Morningside now awaits its pairing for the 2020 NAIA Division II Championships March 11-17 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.