Thriller to 20 – Mustangs add to amazing span

OMAHA, NEB. – Overcoming a difficult overall and three-point shooting afternoon, Morningside University still found a way to reach an 11^th straight win Saturday, Jan. 29.

Host College of Saint Mary made it anything but easy on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' No. 8-ranked program. Defending their home Lied Recreation Center court to the final moments, the Flames managed to respond after trailing by as much as 12 in the first half to overtake head coach Jamie Sale's squad at several points in the second 20 minutes.

At the end of the afternoon, though, despite shooting only 30.3 percent overall and an equally as tepid 34.3 from outside the arc, the defending Great Plains Athletic Conference champions managed to hit eight successive free throws in the last 2:19 to reach the pinnacle in a 64-60 finale. That stretch was part of a 14-for-14 effort for the entire contest, tying for the third most makes in a 1.000 percent situation in school history.

Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) led the offense with 22 points, including six three-point baskets. For the second time in as many outings during the week, the inside combination of senior forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) and sophomore forward/center Chloe Lofstrom (Armstrong, Iowa) proved pivotal, too. Peppers went for 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Lofstrom finished with 14 points, eight boards, a steal, and a blocked shot.

Morningside, moving to 20-3 overall and 15-1 in league play during a day which they reached the 20-win mark for the 17^th time in the last 18 years, increased its conference cushion to four games, as Northwestern College was felled by the University of Jamestown. The Mustangs close out a brief two-game road set Wednesday, Feb. 2, traveling to Dordt University's DeWitt Gymnasium for a 6 p.m. start.