Warriors Battle Back, Fall to Morningside on the Road

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Midland University traveled to Sioux City, Iowa, for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) game against (RV) Morningside University on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors' upset bid fell short in the final minutes, as the Mustangs closed the game with an 11-2 run to win 69-61.

Midland received strong efforts from everyone on the floor, with seven of the eight players who saw action scoring at least six points. Morningside jumped out to an early 12-3 lead, but Midland fought back. A three-pointer from Ellie Bovaird and another from Sarah Shepard helped keep the Warriors in the game as they trailed 25-17 at the end of the first quarter.

The Warriors roared back to take a 28-27 lead, using an 11-2 run to start the second quarter while holding Morningside scoreless for the first 3:51 of the period. The teams traded baskets as the first half wound down, with Leah Redding, Erin Foxhall, Bovaird, and a three from Jenna Weber keeping Midland in the game. The Warriors headed into the locker room trailing by one, 36-35.

Two quick baskets from KD-Anna Petersen after the break and two three-pointers from Grace Holm gave Midland a two-point lead midway through the third quarter. Foxhall added two layups and Holm hit another three-pointer, giving the Warriors their largest lead of the game, 52-47, with 3:30 left in the third. Morningside responded with an 8-1 run to close the quarter and took a 55-53 lead heading into the final period.

Jenna Weber came out strong in the fourth, scoring the next six points for Midland and giving the Warriors a 59-58 lead with 6:30 to go. However, Morningside's defense shut down the Warriors for the next six minutes, allowing the Mustangs to go on an 11-0 run. Midland managed one final field goal with 17 seconds left, but the game ended with a 69-61 score.

It was a group effort for the Warriors, with seven players scoring at least six points. Weber and Holm each scored a team-high 12 points, followed by Foxhall, Petersen, and Shepard with eight each. Bovaird finished with seven points and a team-high eight assists, while Shepard led the team in rebounds with nine.

As a team, Midland shot 23-of-58 (39.7%) from the floor and 7-of-23 (30.4%) from behind the arc. Morningside shot 30-of-72 (41.7%) from the floor and 5-of-26 (19.2%) from three-point range. The Mustangs out-rebounded the Warriors 48-30, leading to 21 second-chance points for Morningside compared to Midland's seven.

Midland (1-16, 1-10) will look to bounce back on Wednesday when it hosts College of Saint Mary (1-16, 0-11) in Wikert Event Center for another midweek conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Fremont, Nebraska.