Strong second-half defense fuels Mustang win

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The Mustangs turned up the pressure on defense in the second half of today's contest to pull away from a determined Mount Marty team, with the board reading 87-54 in favor of the home team when the final buzzer sounded.

Morningside hit 31-of-69 field goals in today's contest, going 10-for25 from beyond the three-point line. The Mustangs recorded 46 rebounds and 25 assists, scoring 34 points off of 26 Lancer turnovers, and dominating in the paint, with a 40-16 point differential.

Sophia Peppers emerged as Morningside's leading scorer, putting up 18 points to share the game-high with Mount Marty's Kaela Martinez. Peppers also had six assists, four steals, and five rebounds.

Alexis Spier followed Peppers, with 12 points in her second start of the season. She had a game-high five steals, one blocked shot, and four rebounds.

Chloe Lofstrom was the leading rebounder for the Mustangs, grabbing seven boards, including five on defense. The junior also had nine points, two steals, and two assists. 

Olivia Larsen and McKenna Sims each had eight points, with Larsen leading the bench in scoring. Sims had four assists and four rebounds. Larsen had two assists and three rebounds.

In a pair of milestones, Abbe Morten recorded seven points in her first career start and Ella Wragge knocked down a matching seven points in her varsity debut.

Morningside faces rivals Briar Cliff and Northwestern in the coming week, both on the road. The Mustangs are at BCU on Wednesday in a 6 p.m. contest and travel to Orange City on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.