Rodenburgh's career night propels Mustangs

By Daniel VerSteeg, Morningside College sports information student staff

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A seventh successive victory kept Morningside College two games in front on the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings Saturday, Jan. 9.

Head coach Jamie Sale's squad, moving to 13-2 overall and 11-1 in the league, used a 21-8 run over the final 7:42 of the first half to shake off a pesky Hastings College side early on. The Broncos kept it close throughout the first period and trailed by only five until the big second quarter push by the home team. The Maroon kept building the lead at each turn in the second half en route to an 86-50 triumph.

Junior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (JR/Hawarden, Iowa) (Hawarden, Iowa) headlined the individual efforts. She blistered the nets at a meteoric 66.7 percent rate which included hitting on three-of-six three-point attempts. Her single-game career-high 25-point afternoon was only part of the story. Rodenburgh was also a tough customer on the boards, compiling 13, also a single-game personal best, for a double-double and dished out two assists and picked up a steal. She was one of four players to finish in double-digits scoring-wise, joining senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (14 points, five steals, and three assists); junior forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa) (12 points, three steals, three assists and a blocked shot); and freshman post player Chloe Lofstrom (FR/Armstrong, Iowa) (Armstrong, Iowa) (10 points, four rebounds).

Morningside shot 47.8% from the field and 35.5% from three-point range while putting up 80+ points for the seventh time this season. The Mustang defense came to play as well, as it was the third game in a row for them to hold an opponent to 50 or fewer. It was third straight contest, too, in which they forced their opponents to commit 25 or more turnovers, as Hastings surrendered 27.

Mside's road moves to a rugged section of its schedule beginning Wednesday, Jan. 13. They welcome in Briar Cliff University, the GPAC's second-place program.