Morningside and Briar Cliff were first round winners in the NAIA national women’s basketball tourney being contested in Sioux City this week.
Top-ranked Morningside (Iowa) quickly exerted control of eighth-seeded UC Merced (Calif.) en route to 79-45 victory inside the Tyson Events Center in a primetime matchup on Wednesday night. The Mustangs, national champions in 2004, 2005 and 2009, improved to 31-9 all-time on the national stage.
Head coach Jamie Sale’s squad, whose only loss came in the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament championship game, bumped its overall record to 33-1. The Bobcats bowed out of the bracket with a final mark of 14-12.
In the third game of the 2015 Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship, presented by State Farm, fans inside the Tyson Events Center saw a balanced Briar Cliff (Iowa) offense steadily force its will on Menlo (Calif.), 80-61, Wednesday in Sioux City.
The Chargers (24-9) out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference had four players hit double-digits scoring in the contest, led by both Jessi Corrick and Slone Masters with 14 points apiece. Corrick also pulled down 10 rebounds for the only double-double in the contest.
Kaylee Blake added 13 while teammate Julie Targy rounded out the foursome of Briar Cliff athletes to hit double-figures with 12.
