MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE GA M E DAY - D E C E M B E R 3 1, 2 0 2 0
MUSTANG BASKETBALL Morningside College and Northwestern College begin the process of ringing in 2021 with a rescheduled Great Plains Athletic Conference clash this evening. Head coach Jamie Sale’s Mustangs, leading the league at 9-2 overall and 7-1 in loop action, have won three straight and nine of the last 10. The Red Raiders, coached by Chris Yaw, stand 5-6 overall and 5-3 in the GPAC, rebounding with five successive triumphs after starting the year 0-6.
THE MATCH- UP Mside swept the season set a year ago and holds a 22-17 advantage on NWC all-time. Looking further, the two sides have split the last six meetings, with three of them being decided by 10-points-or-less. Junior forward Sophia Peppers has gotten off to a sky-rocket style start to the 2020-21 campaign. She’s among the conference top five in scoring (17.09 points per game), field goal accuracy (48.9 percent), and assists (3.55 per game). She’s also within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ first 50 in points scored (188 – No. 19), assists (39 – No. 30), steals (24 – No. 35), and total rebounds (81 – No. 47). Senior guards Sierra Mitchell and Faith Meyer and sophomore guard McKenna Sims also are part of the GPAC’s first five statistically. Mitchell is second in scoring (17.36 ppg), Meyer is fourth in steals per contest (2.73 pg), and Sims is second in assists (3.91 pg). Along national lines, Mitchell is in the top 10 in total three-point baskets (40 – No. 2) and treys per outing (3.636 – No. 7), as is Meyer in steals (30 – No. 10). The Maroon is also in similar territory team-wise, as their 104 made three-pointers are sixth-best while their 195 assists and 138 steals rank eighth. Morningside is coming off an 89-54 victory at Hastings that concluded their preChristmas slate on Dec. 20. Freshman post player Chloe Lofstrom, whose scoring average has been on the rise like a bull stock market of late, went for double-digit points for the sixth time in her last eight outings. Her 18 points were coupled with ten boards, both of which were personal single-game highs for the first-year student-athlete in a maroon uniform, which compiled her first collegiate double-double. Lofstrom wasn’t the only power source that guided Sale’s team inside HC’s Lynn Farrell Arena. Faith Meyer equaled a single-game personal best with 17 points. Peppers and Sims contributed 14 points apiece. Peppers was only two rebounds short of a double-double and had another sparkling stat line that included five assists. This evening begins a span of four games in the next nine days for the Mustangs. They travel to the College of Saint Mary Saturday, Jan. 2, and Doane University Wednesday, Jan. 6, to wrap up the first half of GPAC play. Hastings College visits Allee Gymnasium and the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center Saturday, Jan. 9, to begin the second half of the 2020-21 loop schedule.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS Senior guard Sammy Blum and freshman center Molly Schany top Northwestern’s points column. Blum, who also tops the team in long-range shooting (29 three-pointers), assists (37), and steals (18), averages 13.3 points per appearance. Schany, who is less than three rebounds short of averaging a double-double (7.6), tallies 11.6 points per game. Sophomore guard Emilee Danner isn’t far off double-figure digit pace per contest (9.7). Yaw and his staff have enjoyed consistency starting line-up wise. Northwestern has gone to the same quintet in each of its 11 games.