Mustangs turn up the heat in win over Flames

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Morningside University's head women's basketball coach Jamie Sale smiled as he substituted in the reserves deep on the bench Saturday.

All 16 Mustangs took the court in a 104-50 win over College of Saint Mary at Allee Gymnasium, with 14 players contributing to the scoreboard.

"It's nice when you can get all your players in, and get the ones on the bench who don't get to get in, but they practice hard every day," Sale said. "They played well, and the start to our game was really sharp. We moved the ball really well."

The Mustangs sped out to an 11-0 run, setting the tone for the afternoon and leading from wire-to-wire. In that stretch, Jordyn Carr, Lily Vollertsen, and Alexis Spier each hit 3-pointers. On the game's first possession, Vollertsen hit two free-throw attempts.

Morningside shot 55 percent against the Flames, and made a season-high 13 3s. It's the fourth time this season the Mustangs have hit double digits in 3s, and the first instance at home since Oct. 29, 2024, against Grand View.

"We just needed some confidence, because we've played in some close games that we've lost," Sale said. "It's the best we've looked offensively just as far as ball movement. This game can certainly help with confidence."

Vollertsen led the Mustangs with 22 points and 11 rebounds, good for her third double-double this season. The Syracuse, Nebraska, native made eight shots, including three 3s. She also had five offensive rebounds.

"It was awesome, and it was just a great team win," Vollertsen said. "That's exactly what we need going into next week."

Fifty-seven points were scored off the bench, including 19 from Tonja Heirings. She also hit three 3s and collected six rebounds.

Spier was the only other Mustang double-digit scorer with 10. Baylie Girres had three steals, while Dani Peterson had a trio of blocks.

In just her fourth game of the year, Breck Mills capped off the Mustangs' dominant performance with a last-second three-pointer.

As Vollertsen pointed out, there's still work to be done. Next week, the Mustangs are on the road to face No. 1 Dordt before returning home against No. 8 Briar Cliff on Saturday. Both games the first time were single-digit close losses, and the Mustangs know they need to be sharp this week in practice.

"We need to play our hearts out," Vollertsen said. "We know both games are going to be great atmospheres."