Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University returned to the Wikert Event Center on Saturday, hosting (RV) Morningside University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup. The Warriors fought hard and entered the final quarter trailing by just one point. They were unable to pull off the upset of the Mustangs, who pulled away late for a 71-57 victory.
Ellie Bovaird came out on fire, scoring nine of Midland’s 14 first-quarter points while shooting 4-of-5 from the field, including her only three-point attempt. Morningside answered with consistent offense, shooting 6-of-18 (33.3%) in the opening quarter to take a narrow 15-14 lead into the second.
Both teams found their rhythm in the second quarter, exchanging three-pointers as Grace Holm and Sarah Shepard connected from beyond the arc to counter two treys from the Mustangs. Midland tied the game at 23 before Morningside went on an 8-0 run, building a 31-23 lead with 3:30 remaining in the half. The Warriors responded with an 8-0 run of their own, sparked by three-pointers from Zoey Sims and Jenna Weber and capped by a Bovaird layup, tying the game at 31 at halftime.
Holm opened the second half with her second three-pointer, briefly giving Midland a 34-33 lead with 8:25 left in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets throughout the period, with Holm drilling another three to cut Morningside’s lead to one. Heading into the fourth, Midland trailed 47-46.
In the final quarter, the Warriors struggled offensively, going scoreless for the first 3:30 as the Mustangs capitalized with a 7-0 run and never looked back. Morningside outscored Midland 24-11 in the period, shooting an impressive 10-of-16 (62.5%) from the floor compared to the Warriors’ 4-of-14 (28.6%), securing the 71-57 win.
Midland shot 22-of-55 (40%) overall and 11-of-26 (42.3%) from three-point range, while Morningside finished 28-of-71 (39.4%) from the field and 6-of-21 (28.6%) from beyond the arc. Turnovers proved pivotal, with Midland committing 21 compared to Morningside’s nine. The Mustangs capitalized with 25 points off turnovers.
Bovaird’s strong start propelled her to a team-high 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 37 minutes. Shepard controlled the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Holm hit 4-of-9 from three-point range to finish with 12 points.
Midland (1-8, 1-4 GPAC) will return to action next week when it hosts Doane (6-1, 4-1 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11 in Fremont.
