Mustang
BASKETBALL WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17
The final home set on the 2021 portion of Morningside University’s schedules tips off tonight. Concordia University takes a northeastern trip to Sioux City for a pair of earlyseason Great Plains Athletic Conference battles. Head coach Jamie Sale’s women’s team is tied for the league lead along with Northwestern College and Briar Cliff University at 3-0. Head coach Trent Miller’s men’s side is the lone loop unbeaten with a similar mark. CU’s men, coached by Ben Limback, are just a half-game behind the Mustangs (31). The Bulldog women’s team, coached by Drew Olson, is tied for fifth with College of Saint Mary at 2-2.
THE SERIES Mside’s men are 27-8 all-time against their Seward, Neb., foes. They’ve won 11 in a row, but two of the recent four meetings have been determined by 15-points-orless, including a one-point thriller on the Allee Gymnasium floor of the RosenVerdoorn Sports Center in December 2019. The women’s all-time history has been back-and-forth, with the Mustangs leading by a scant 25-18 margin. Concordia and Mside have split the last ten match-ups, which featured a 2020-21 season series for the record books. After a 19-point regular-season victory at home (86-67), Sale’s program captured back-to-back two-point nailbiters and then stopped CU 83-67 in the national tournament quarterfinals.
THE MATCH-UP Morningside’s women (5-2 overall, 3-0 GPAC), ranked No. 12 on the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ coaches poll, also has lofty national statistical listings. Through seven games, they lead the country in assists (22.3 per game) and are fifth in made three-pointers per contest (10.1). Senior guard Taylor Rodenburgh has helped spark the strong long-range shooting, standing 13th accuracy-wise (57.1 percent). Fellow senior guard Sierra Mitchell has aided in the assist top billing with her 37 ranking 25th-best. On the men’s side of the ledger over six contests, the Mustangs (5-1 overall, 3-0 GPAC), ranked No. 22 on the recent poll, have a pair of first 20 team digits (field goal pct. – No. 15 – 50.9/three-point field goal pct. – No. 19 – 39.4). Individually, junior guard Will Pottebaum is among the 20 best in charity stripe conversion (92.9 pct. – No. 17). Senior center Trey Brown has a similar residence regarding glass cleaning (10.3 rpg – No. 19). Mside concluded its pre-Thanksgiving slate with a sweep of their 2021-22 conference opener at Doane on Nov. 23. The men scored 13 of the first 19 points against the Tigers en route to an 82-67 triumph. Morningside’s women had to overcome a white-hot shooting effort from their hosts in the first 20 minutes before
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