Courtesy of Midland Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. – Delayed a day because of a winter storm, Midland University traveled the short distance to Omaha to take on the College of Saint Mary on Sunday as the teams resumed conference play. The Warriors edged past the Flames, 64-57, to improve to 3-5 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and 7-8 overall. CSM falls to 9-5 (3-5 GPAC) with the loss.
Continuing her trend as of late, Peyton Wingert posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the way. She has six double-doubles on the season and four of her last five games.
Erin Prusa and Lexi Kraft each reached double digits in points with 13 and 11 on the afternoon. Sam Shepard pulled down 11 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive end.
As a team, Midland overcame a cold-shooting performance. They shot 17-of-64 from the field and made 8-of-29 shots from behind the arc. That didn’t carry over to the free-throw line, where they were 22-of-23. The 95.7% at the stripe was their best in over a decade (February 20, 2007 – 6-of-6 vs. Doane).
The Warriors had a lead of six in the opening quarter while the Flames kept within striking distance. CSM took over the lead with a 7-0 spurt to start the second and held the advantage up until a Kraft three-pointer put Midland up 23-22 with 5:49 left in the half. After a couple of ties and two lead changes, the Warriors went into the locker room with a five-point lead, 39-34.
After the intermission, it looked like another CSM run might be in the making as they hit a three-pointer on their first possession. Midland quickly ended those thoughts as Prusa went on a personal 5-0 run to put the Warriors up seven with 7:33 on the clock.
The Flames tried to mount a comeback over the final 17-plus minutes but their cold shooting from outside hindered their chances. They went 2-of-12 from behind the arc en route to a 7-of-29 day from distance.
Midland was dominant on the boards, outrebounding CSM 55 to 39. Points in the paint favored the Flames, 26 to 16, as did point from the bench, 25 to 15. The Warriors’ ability to get to the free-throw line was the difference in the game as they had 10 more attempts and had a plus-14 advantage.
Up next for Midland (7-8, 3-5 GPAC) is a midweek matchup with Doane (8-8, 2-6 GPAC). The long-time rivals will meet for the first time this season on Wednesday, January 5 in Fremont. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center.
