Steely Reserve - Clutch charity stripe effort moves Mside to top of GPAC standings

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – In a nip-and-tuck Great Plains Athletic Conference battle Wednesday, Dec. 2, Morningside College managed to find itself as the lone league unbeaten at game's end.

Head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs, improving to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference, rattled off their fourth straight victory, overcoming a strong display from the visiting Defenders of Dordt University. The visitors held a nearly two-to-one lead on the glass (40-23) and hit better than 50 percent overall and from outside the arc, but Mside took advantage of 20 visiting turnovers that led to 21 points and were cold-blooded from the free-throw line, hitting on 18 of 20 attempts to gain an 85-79 victory.

The Maroon's charity shot acumen showed up especially large in the final minute. The junior-freshman combination of forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa) and Chloe Lofstrom (FR/Armstrong, Iowa) (Armstrong, Iowa) went six-for-six over the last 50 seconds to repel a hard-charging DU crew that trimmed an 11-point deficit (77-66) to as little as four (79-75). Peppers' free throw production was part of a big evening on the home Allee Gymnasium floor inside the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. She finished with 25 points, which marked her second straight 20-point-plus total, grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots, dished out a pair of assists, and picked up a steal in 36 minutes. Lofstrom was just as impressive with a single-game personal best tying 15 points on a sparkling six-of-seven field goal and three-of-three free-throw night.

Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) canned three three-pointers and dished out a team-leading six assists to add to her 13-point finish. Fellow upperclasswoman backcourt teammate McKenna Sims (SO/South Sioux City, Neb.), a junior from South Sioux City, Neb., added 11 points, picked up six rebounds, and turned in five assists.

The Mustangs begin two in a row on the road Saturday, Dec. 5. Tipoff at Midland University's Wikert Events Center in Fremont, Neb., is 2 p.m.