Win streak reaches nine, Mside keeps two-game league advantage

YANKTON, S.D. – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics No. 8-ranked Morningside University continued to build momentum through the second half of the 2021-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference slate Saturday, Jan. 22.

A 13-2 run in the fledgling stages of the first quarter, turning a 3-0 deficit to a 13-5 lead, helped jump-start head coach Jamie Sale's squad towards a rollicking 84-48 victory over Mount Marty University at Laddie E. Cimpl Arena. Sophomore guard Alexis Spier (Gretna, Neb.) resumed her recent hot streak of play with a team-best 19 points to go with three assists and two steals.

Spier was one of five Mustangs scoring in double figures. Senior forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) was next in line with 17 points and also grabbed five boards; fellow senior forward Aspen Jansa (Wahoo, Neb.) and senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) wound up scoring 12 points each; and junior guard Makenna Sims (South Sioux City, Neb.) tallied 11 points. The balanced offensive budget was due to converting better than 50 percent overall from the field and at a robust 56.5 percent clip from outside the arc.

Morningside (17-3 overall, 13-1 GPAC) takes a nine-game win string into a home clash with Northwestern College. Game time for the loop's top two teams standings-wise is 6 p.m. on the Allee Gymnasium floor of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center.

NOTE: Spier has been a statistical compendium of late. She's averaging 15.4 points, more than five rebounds, and over four assists per appearance over her last five contests.