by SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Morningside College took advantage of strong play from its bench to defeat College of Saint Mary 97-71 Saturday afternoon.
“They are just a really good team,” CSM Coach Jesse Flanagan said of the Mustangs – who were ranked No. 11 in the most recent NAIA poll.
Key stats in the game were Morningside’s 47 points from non-starters, 21 points off CSM turnovers and 25 second-chance points. Those factors combined were too much for the Flames in the Great Plains Athletic Conference contest.
“That right there will get you beat every time,” Flanagan said.
On a positive note, seniors Paige Muhammad (SR/Omaha, Neb.), Pilar Aldrich (SR/Winnebago, Neb.) and Justice Ross (SR/Gretna, Neb.) led the Flames in scoring. Muhammad knocked down 15 points and dished out five assists for CSM. Aldrich scored 14 and had two assists, while Ross tallied 13 points and nine rebounds. Also for the Flames, Tiara Brown (JR/Garland, Texas) contributed nine points.
“I thought Paige did an outstanding job of attacking the basket and making the defense collapse,” Flanagan said.
For Morningside, Jordyn Moser tossed in 15 points.
“It’s a tough result but we’ll move on to the next game,” Flanagan said. “We have six important games in the month of February that we are really excited for.”
With the loss, CSM drops to 1-14 in the GPAC and 5-18 overall. The Flames will face Doane University at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the road.
