Mustangs come up short in battle of GPAC leaders

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The long-delayed clash of the Great Plains Athletic Conference's top men's basketball teams finally happened, with the first of two meetings occurring in Jamestown, N.D. The Mustangs came up short in the meeting, falling to the no. 11 Jimmies 81-71. 

The fact that Morningside was even in the game came after some first-half heroics, as the Mustangs trailed 24-9 at the midway point of the first half. The visitors climbed back into the game, getting on top just before the break and heading into halftime down 39-38.

After another 10 minutes of play, the Mustangs held a slim 58-54 lead, but Jamestown quickly erased it, taking the lead for good.

Jamestown's advantage in the contest came from beyond the three-point line, as the Jimmies hit 15-of-32 long shots, compared to Morningside's 7-of-15. The teams were near equals in almost every other category.

Ely Doble led Morningside in scoring, netting 27 points. He was followed by Joey Skoff, who had 14, and Aidan Vanderloo, who had 10 of the Mustangs' 12 bench points.

Trey Powers led Morningside on the boards, grabbing nine rebounds, all on defense. Doble and Jack Dotzler followed with seven each and Brendan Buckley had six.

The Mustangs will travel to Dordt University on Wednesday for a 7:45 p.m. contest, needing a win to put distance between them and the third-place Defenders.