Pride drop road non-conference game to Morningside
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Flipping back to road games after winning a pair of home games last week, the Clarke University women's basketball team was unable to overcome a slow start in an 83-63 loss at Morningisde University on Tuesday night.
The Mustangs were able to use a 25-14 first quarter and 26-14 fourth quarter to bookend their fourth win of the season despite the Pride attempt to mount a comeback through a low scoring second quarter and in the early stages of the third.
After the game started to a 9-9 tie over the first five minutes, MU would be able to finish the quarter on a 16-5 run to hold that 25-14 lead but Clarke was able to chip away slightly in the second quarter where Morningside shot just 4-for-23 (17.4%) in the quarter but the Pride also committed 11 of their 18 first half turnovers in the second, only able to score 11 points to the Mustangs' nine to only come back by two for a 34-25 hafltime score.
The Pride came out of the halftime break on fire as they were able to take a 42-41 lead about halfway through the third thanks to a Breckan Stewart three pointer after Josie Potts got the rally started with a three pointer and layup to get CU within two possessions.
A pair of Zoe Kennedy layups surrounded a Hailey Walters three pointer and a Jessica Morgan layup before Stewart's triple gave Clarke the lead, but MU's Clancy Brown was able to score eight-straight points via four from the free throw line and a pair of makes from the field to give the Mustangs back a lead they wouldn't give up for the remainder of the game.
Clarke would be able to pull within seven points in the fourth at 60-53 before Morningside would answer with a 16-1 run to put the game on ice with about four minutes remaining to produce a 22-point lead at 76-54, the largest lead for any team in the game.
Brown scored a game-high 22 points for the home team as one of three players in double figures with Lilly Vollersten right behind with an 18-point, 16-rebound double-double Jaeden Webb added 12 points, five assist, and two steals.
For the Pride, Potts lead the way in scoring with a career-high 17 points on 7-for-13 (53.8%) shooting from the field while Walters had 13 points, and Kennedy had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double with seven assists, a steal, and two blocks herself.
Morningside had an advantage down low, outrebounding Clarke 51-35 that included 19 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second chance points where the Mustangs also produced 36 points in the paint to just 26 for CU.
Pride women's basketball will remain on the road for their other game this week, when they begin Heart of America Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon with their first Heart matchup against Missouri Baptist University on Nov. 15 with a 12:00 p.m. CT scheduled opening tip against the Spartans.