Taking Another Step - Mustangs advance to national semifinal, top league rival

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A winning streak that started with an 86-67 victory at Concordia University in Great Plains Athletic Conference action in early December continued to add lofty marks for Morningside College against a similar opponent Saturday, March 14.

Head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs, ranked seventh nationally and seeded fifth at the championships, faced the unenviable task of taking on the league rival Bulldogs for a fourth time at the Tyson Events Center in one of four national quarterfinals. After a rocky start which saw the Maroon hit its first goal at nearly the halfway point of the opening quarter, Sale's group settled in and used a 19-4 run to end the frame and not trail the rest of the evening towards an 83-67 victory.

Mside's 23rd straight positive outcome was built around a 49-point second-half outburst that allowed them to break away from a four-point halftime advantage. A blistering 64.2 effort from the field, which included clicking at a better than 46 percent rate from outside the arc, led the attack.

Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) topped three players in double figures on the final numbers. A night after becoming the fourth player in program history to reach 2000 points, she tallied 26 to lead all scorers over the 40 minutes. Junior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (JR/Hawarden, Iowa) (Hawarden, Iowa), whose super-sub status has reached remarkable heights, added another tier to the story with 20 points and three assists and a tremendous four-of-seven effort from outside the arc, which included conversions with CU on the cusp of comebacks. Sophomore guard McKenna Sims (SO/South Sioux City, Neb.) (South Sioux City, Neb.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.

Morningside (29-2) aims for a spot in the 2021 national championship game when they face off against top-seeded Thomas More University Monday, March 22. Tip-off time is 6 p.m.