Morningside rallies for regular-season road finale victory

MITCHELL, S.D. – An 8-2 run in the final 3:44 Wednesday, Feb. 16, helped Morningside University close within a game of a second successive 20-wins-or-more Great Plains Athletic Conference campaign.

A back-and-forth battle where neither side led by more than 11 points, lead changes were the part of the evening's menu in the Corn Palace, as it happened seven times in 40 minutes. The seventh and final such occurrence went the way of head coach Jamie Sale's Mustangs when senior forward Taylor Rodenburgh (Hawarden, Iowa) hit a lay-up with 2:34 to go in the third frame.

Morningside managed to build a four-point advantage in the final span but couldn't shake the Tigers. With the game tied at 72-72 and less than four minutes left in regulation, the upperclasswoman duo of senior forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) and junior guard McKenna Sims (South Sioux City, Neb.) each posted four points down the stretch to wind up an 80-74 victory. 

Peppers and Sims' contributions didn't end there. Peppers reached 20-points-or-more territory for the second time in her last three outings with 24 to go with six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Sims aimed towards a potential triple-double for a second straight contest, tallying 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. 

Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) added 16 points to Mside's stats resume. Sophomore center Chloe Lofstrom (Armstrong, Iowa) just missed a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds to allow the Mustangs to improve to 24-4 overall and 19-2 in the conference.

Morningside concludes its 2021-22 regular season, hosting Midland University Saturday, Feb. 19. Game time for Senior Day 2022 is 2 p.m. at Allee Gymnasium in the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center.