Marching On - Second half binge sends Morningside to Final 16

WICHITA, KS. – In the end, a six-hour drive for a chance to play in their home town was well worth it for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics No. 7-ranked Morningside College Saturday, March 13.

The Mustangs, seeking the program's first national tournament victory since 2018 for a chance to play in their hometown March 18-23 at the NAIA Final 16, used a 46-30 run over the final 20 minutes to knock off Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season champion Saint Xavier University 90-70 in the Wichita B Bracket opening round title tilt. A healthy dose of Mustangs' double-doubles from the combination of junior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (JR/Hawarden, Iowa) (Hawarden, Iowa) and freshman center Chloe Lofstrom (FR/Armstrong, Iowa) (Armstrong, Iowa) coupled with 13 made three-pointers, and five players in double digits turned out as critical facts for head coach Jamie Sale's squad garnering their 21^st straight triumph.

"It's awesome for us to be able to play at Tyson," Sale said. "This group has been so fun to coach. I'm excited for them to get the opportunity to move on and play in our hometown."

Sale and assistant coach Jill Bodammer pointed to a simple ideal at halftime that left both thinking the second half might be full of Maroon positives.

"We took a look at the stats, and both figured if we're up seven with senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) only having three points, good things might be in store," Sale admitted. "We just had to make a few defensive adjustments. Saint Xavier is a good offensive team, and they showed it in the first half. We got the press working the way we wanted over the final 20 minutes, and it worked out well."

Mitchell and her teammates responded in the affirmative. The senior climbed within six of 2,000 career points, tallying 19, which included four long balls to go along with eight assists. Sophomore guard McKenna Sims (SO/South Sioux City, Neb.) (South Sioux City, Neb.), her backcourt teammate, stepped up with a single-game career-high 15 points as part of an impressive line that included five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Closer to the rim, Lofstrom proved a handful for the Cougars' interior defense, registering 14 points, grabbing 12 boards, and blocking two opponent shots. Rodenburgh, the Mustangs' "super-sub," kept her sublime junior year story going with 20 points, ten rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Junior forward Sophia Peppers (JR/Exira, Iowa) (Exira, Iowa) added her name to the double-digit registry with 12 points to go with six rebounds, five steals, and three assists.

Morningside (27-6) finds out their Final 16 foe Sunday, March 14. The Mustangs will play their second-round national tournament contest either Thursday or Friday, March 18 or 19.