(2.3.17) By Blake Meacham – After a disappointing performance against #9 Dakota Wesleyan at home last week, the Morningside men’s basketball squad bounced back with an impressive 82-59 upset victory against nationally ranked Northwestern.
Northwestern is the fourth ranked team that the Mustangs have defeated this season, along with No. 10 Tabor, No. 14 Dakota State, and No. 24 Bellevue.
The most impressive stats of the night came on the defensive end for the Mustangs, pressuring the Red Raiders into committing 19 turnovers, and holding their shooting percentage for the night to 40 percent.
“We ramped up our defensive energy this week, which led to a lot of steals which turned into easy break-away lay-ups,” explained Ryan Tegtmeier.
The game was tied at 33 heading into halftime, but the Mustangs outscored Northwestern in the second half 49-26.
Alex Borchers led the scoring effort for Morningside with 16 points. Tegtmeier was right behind him with 14, and Brody Egger finished with 10.
The Mustangs improved to 17-7 on the year, with a conference record of 7-6. The Mustangs face Hastings on Saturday (2.4), who they beat 77-71 earlier this season.
“The key for Saturday is simply to duplicate our performance on Wednesday. A win at home will validate that tough win on the road,” said Tegtmeier of the upcoming game.
The game will start at 4 pm at the Rosen Verdoorn Center.
Leave a Reply