Final Quarter Frenzy - Late roll moves needle on Mside win streak to 11

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A 30-point fourth-period scoring outburst turned out to be the difference for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' No. 11-ranked Morningside College Saturday, Jan. 23.

With visiting Midland University knocking on the door early in the final stanza, trailing only 56-53 with 6:46 remaining, head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs tore the knob off the offensive volume the remainder of an 82-60 Great Plains Athletic Conference victory inside Allee Gymnasium and the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. Less than three minutes later, the home crowd witnessed a comfortable 68-53 Maroon advantage behind a 12-0 run. That stretch increased to 24-4, putting the home side up by 23 to help wrap up the program's 11^th straight triumph.

Three-point buckets were of a high commodity in the sizzling span. Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) and junior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (JR/Hawarden, Iowa) (Hawarden, Iowa) each drained two, with fellow junior forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa) knocking down one.

Peppers and Rodenburgh led the charge on the points column, as Mside moved to 17-2 overall and 15-1 in the conference. Peppers tallied 21 to go with four rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Rodenburgh came off the bench for another fantastic outing, scoring 23 to go with five rebounds. She was nearly perfect shooting-wise, going eight-of-12 overall, including hitting on three of four from outside the arc and going a clean four-for-four from the free-throw line.

Mitchell parlayed a strong 12-point, five-rebound, six-assist, four-steal outing. Sophomore guard McKenna Sims (SO/South Sioux City, Neb.) (South Sioux City, Neb.), winding up with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists, also found herself in double digits.

Morningside winds up its current homestand Wednesday, Jan. 27. The University of Jamestown visits for a 6 p.m. start.