Mustang
BASKETBALL SATURDAY, FEB. 19, 2022
Morningside University men’s and women’s basketball pays tribute to its Class of 2022 members before tip-off of both games this afternoon. A quartet featuring Madison Clayton, Tenly Hansen, Sierra Mitchell, and Taylor Rodenburgh is recognized by head coach Jamie Sale’s 2021-22 squad. Head coach Trent Miller’s team honors Trey Brown, Collin Hill, Will Hurd, Zach Imig, and Tyler Vavrina. A combined eight National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ tournament appearances, six Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season championships, one GPAC post-season tournament title, and eight 20-or-more win campaigns are on the group’s resume.
THE SERIES Mside’s men have a 10-game win streak in tow against Midland. The run has allowed them to take a 27-20 all-time advantage. The women have captured eight of the previous 11 contests. They have a 25-6 all-time lead over the Warriors.
THE MATCH-UP As Morningside’s games continue to get bigger and bigger to close out the 2021-22 regular season and move towards the postseason, Imig is turning up the intensity. Averaging better than 12 points and seven rebounds to go along with sparkling averages of 4.5 assists and nearly four steals over the last six contests, he registered a second double-double in his previous four outings to lead the Mustangs to a 73-65 win at Dakota Wesleyan Feb. 16. His game resume included scoring six points, grabbing an offensive rebound, and dishing off an assist in the final five minutes of action at the Corn Palace, part of a 14-12 edge to lock up the decision. Imig had plenty of help from the visitor’s bench. Sophomore forward/center Ely Doble went for a single-game career-high 22 points with eight rebounds; sophomore guard Aidan Vanderloo turned in 16 points, and junior guard Trey Powers finished with 12 points. Going into the regular-season finale, Miller’s crew, sporting a 14-10 overall and 11-8 conference record, remains among the nation’s top 20 in three-point field goal accuracy. Their team 37.5 percent rate is No. 20. An 8-2 run in the final 3:44 midweek helped Mside’s women close within a game of a second successive 20-wins-or-more league campaign. It was a back-and-forth battle where neither side led by more than 11 points, and lead changes were the part of the evening’s menu, as it happened seven times in 40 minutes. The seventh and final such occurrence was the Mustangs’ way when Rodenburgh hit a lay-up with 2:34 to go in the third frame. Morningside managed to build a four-point advantage in the final span but couldn’t shake
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