Mustangs lock up tournament spot with win at Doane

CRETE, Neb. – With two games on the schedule after Saturday, Morningside was looking for a big win to better their odds in the GPAC Tournament. The Mustangs had to battle back from five down in the fourth quarter to pull out the 74-71 win over the Tigers.

Morningside led by six at the half, as the Mustangs took an early five point advantage in the first quarter and extended that lead by one in the second quarter. Morningside forced 14 Doane turnovers in the first half to help build the lead.

The Tigers hit 60% of their shots in the third quarter compared to 19% for the Mustangs as Doane erased the Morningside lead and built up a five-point advantage of their own in a single quarter.

Morningside regained the lead with 5:39 to play thanks to an Alexis Spier jumper. Spier scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the charge. Morningside opened up a 65-60 lead with 3:11 to play.

Doane's last second push made the Mustangs sweat out until the final buzzer. After building a 73-66 lead with 33 seconds remaining, Doane scored a layup, forced a turnover, and converted another layup to make it 73-70 Mustangs with 11 seconds left. Lauren Hedlund converted a free throw to stretch the lead to four and seal the victory for Morningside.

Spier finished with a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double, and pitched in six steals defensively. Lily Vollertsen poured in 17 points off the bench to lead the Mustangs in scoring. Chaise Pfanstiel added nine points. Ella Wragge and Chloe Lofstrom added eight points.

Morningside is tied with Northwestern and Jamestown for fifth in the GPAC standings at 12-8. Briar Cliff still sits fourth in the conference at 13-7. Morningside is at Northwestern Wednesday at 6 p.m. and finishes the season at Briar Cliff Saturday at 2 p.m.