Mustang
BASKETBALL SATURDAY, JAN. 15
The second half of the 2021-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference campaign starts this afternoon. Doane University and Morningside University take the floor of Allee Gymnasium in the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. The Mustangs captured both sessions of the first twin bill at Crete in late November, winning 91-68 in the women’s contest and 82-67 in the men’s meeting.
THE SERIES Morningside has a 33-9 advantage behind a current string of 17 straight victories on the men’s side of the all-time series ledger. Keeping that streak intact has been far from easy, though, with nine finals being decided by 10-points-or-less. Mside’s women have a 33-7 margin against the Tigers. It’s a similar theme to what the men have accomplished, with nine straight and 29 of the last 30 going the way of the Mustangs.
THE MATCH-UP Four team statistical categories rank among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ best 50 for head coach Trent Miller’s team. They center around shooting numbers (No. 25 – 3-pt. conversion – 37.5; No. 26 – FG conversion – 49.1; No. 35 – FT accuracy – 74.2; No. 48 – FG made per game – 30.1). Sophomore guard Aidan Vanderloo is a crucial reason, sitting 39th in free throw conversion (86.1 percent) and 30th in three-point percentage (48.9). Miller’s crew added to the above success midweek during a 93-73 win at Hastings College. The Mustangs, winning for the third time in their last four outings, consistently kept the pressure on their hosts throughout the 40 minutes on the Lynn Farrell Arena floor. From a bucket by Vanderloo to a three-pointer from senior guard Zach Imig, Morningside had the lead from start to finish. In all disciplines, a torrid shooting night allowed the Mustangs to improve to 10-5 overall and 7-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Mside shot 54.4 percent from the field overall, a sizzling 52.6 from outside the arc, and a respectable 77.8 percent clip from the charity stripe. Due to those significant percentages, the visitors’ points column lit up early and often. Sophomore guard Joey Skoff continued to turn heads, compiling 23 points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The senior combo of guard Zach Imig and center Trey Brown were statistical headliners, too, as Imig wound up with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals, and Brown totaled 15 points and eight boards. Imig took over the No. 6 slot on the program’s all-time points list (1,646), while Brown found himself among the first 10, too, passing Mark Faber (1977-81) for 10th by going to 1,472. Junior forward Trey Powers, coming off the bench to tally 12 points, and Vanderloo with 11 rounded out the double-figure scorers. Head coach Jamie Sale’s women’s squad, moving up to No. 8 on the recent NAIA poll, also has a collection of first ten statistic marks. The 19.6 assists they dish out
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