Captivating comeback falls short for Morningside

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – An 11-point deficit with 1:47 remaining didn't phase Morningside College Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Locked in a tense Great Plains Athletic Conference early-season battle with rival Briar Cliff University, head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs went on a memorable 15-4 run. It was fueled by a combined 12-point compilation from the trio of junior forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa), senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), and sophomore guard McKenna Sims (SO/South Sioux City, Neb.) (South Sioux City, Neb.) to catch the Chargers 78-78 with 19 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately, the final outcome took the wind out of the visiting Maroon at BCU's Newman Flanagan Center. After a missed shot by the home team with just seconds left, an offensive rebound and put-back as the clock ran out left sent Sale's squad back home with a challenging 80-78 defeat, snapping a five-game win streak.

BC appeared on the verge of a large victory in front of its home crowd. They scored 23 of the first 32 points and led by as much as 16 as the visitors struggled shooting-wise, hitting less than 40 percent overall, an icy 30 percent from outside the arc, and a tough-luck 65.2 percent at the free-throw line. Despite those factors, the Maroon still managed to climb the mountain within inches of the summit.

Mitchell and Peppers carried the Mustangs. Busting into the career top 10 in scoring, Mitchell finished with 26 points for her third 20-point-plus total in her last four appearances. Peppers, who's also been on fire of late, turned in her fourth successive 20-points-or-more ending with 24. Mside's Swiss army knife had another stellar all-around line, tallying eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a blocked shot to prove her recent conference Player of the Week award.

Morningside faces off against defending league champion Concordia University Saturday, Dec. 12. Game time at Allee Gymnasium inside the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center is 2 p.m.