Mustang
BASKETBALL WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17
The early portion of the 2021-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference schedule resumes this evening. Morningside University’s men and women kicked off their league slate with a sweep of Dakota Wesleyan University on Nov. 13. Head coach Trent Miller’s men’s side topped the Tigers 74-57, while head coach Jamie Sale’s women’s squad rallied past DWU 73-63. Dordt University’s men’s and women’s teams are both starting their conference campaigns. The men, coached by Brian Van Haaften, have a six-game win streak in tow. The women, coached by Bill Harmsen, stand 5-1 and have won their last four games straight.
THE SERIES Mside’s men have claimed 31 of the 48 meetings against their Siouxland rival. The all-time annals include a current Mustangs’ 10-game win string. Morningside’s women harbor a 58-15-1 all-time lead against the Defenders. They’ve won the previous six contests, with five of those results being decided by nine points or less.
THE MATCH-UP Morningside’s patented Gretna connection of senior guard Zach Imig and senior center Trey Brown paid dividends this past weekend. The two registered double-doubles to guide a starting five that all tallied double-figures in scoring. Due to that balance, the home team, improving to 3-1 overall, scored 17 of the first 22 points against visiting DWU and didn’t look back. Imig’s 16-point, 10-rebound, five-assist, two-steal late afternoon had some historical reference. It allowed him to pass former standout Tim West (1995-99) for eighth on the program’s points list. Brown, who also shares residence on the all-time points annals, added ten more to go with ten boards. Beyond those marks, junior guard Will Pottebaum turned in a team-best 18 points and was near-perfect from the floor in doing so. He was seven-of-nine from the field overall, two of four from outside the arc, and two for two at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Aidan Vanderloo while seeing his run of successive 20-points-or-more contests end, finished with 13, and freshman forward Justin Sitti added 10. For a second straight game, a final 20-minutes rally proved pivotal for the Mustangs women’s team. Embroiled in a back-and-forth tug of war with Dakota Wesleyan, Sale’s squad managed to find its offensive third gear in the nick of time. Senior guard Sierra Mitchell was the crux behind a 14-4 stretch in the last 3:19 that provided the victory in front of a happy home crowd at Allee Gymnasium of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. Mitchell canned two three-pointers in the span, and Mside, improving to 2-2 overall, went nine-of-12 at the charity stripe to finally put away what had been a tense battle for a good share of the 40 minutes. DWU, despite falling to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference, led by as much as four at several stages and always managed to answer every Mustangs’ attack with one of its own until the game-decider. Mitchell and senior forward Sophia Peppers shared the scoring lead with 14 each. Mitchell also dished out six assists, and Peppers gathered five rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked a Tiger shot attempt. Fellow senior forward Taylor Rodenbergh appeared at every spot on the floor throughout the
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