Mustangs get bounce back win, open GPAC slate on high note

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Morningside College head women's basketball coach Jamie Sale was looking for a battle from his 2020-21 Mustangs in a road setting.

He got one and then some Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Trailing by as much as 11 early on as the University of Jamestown scored 19 of the first 27 points of the Great Plains Athletic Conference opener for both programs, Sale's squad returned the favor in the second stanza, going on a 17-6 jaunt to tie the game at 25-25. From that point, inside Harold Newman Arena, the Maroon rolled up their sleeves, using a 21-10 stretch in the third period, and overcame the Jimmies 68-61.

"It's good for us," Sale admitted. "I don't like it when we don't play great, but for us to get in these games where you have to battle the whole way on the road is important, especially when we found a way to win."

Junior forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa) led the attack, registering 17 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Faith Meyer (SR/Pomeroy, Iowa) (Pomeroy, Iowa) was next in line with 14 points, with fellow senior guards Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) and Tayte Hansen (SR/York, Neb.) (York, Neb.) chipping in nine each.

The charity stripe proved key for Mside, especially in the closing moments. As UJ mounted a late drive and cut the advantage to 64-61 with 12 seconds left, Mitchell and senior guard Grace Meyer (SR/Pomeroy, Iowa) (Pomeroy, Iowa) calmly sank four consecutive free throws to ice the decision.

"We're generally a pretty good free-throw shooting team," Sale pointed out. "We missed a couple down the stretch, then got the ball to Sierra because she seldom misses."

Morningside steps out of league play Tuesday, Nov. 17. They continue their season-opening road journeys with a GPAC-North Star Athletic Association clash with Dakota State University. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at DSU's Memorial Fieldhouse in Madison, S.D.

Morningside College sports information intern Daniel Ver Steeg contributed to this recap.