SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In front of a packed house inside the Rosen Verdoorn Sport Center and Allee Gymnasium, the Morningside men’s basketball program scratched and clawed their way past the resilient Georgetown Tigers to earn a spot in Kansas City.
The Mustangs defeated the Tigers 61-59 to advance out of the NAIA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds presented by Ballogy. Morningside now gears up for a second straight trip to the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Missouri March 21-26.
After both teams scored over 90 points and shot over 50% from the floor in Friday’s first round, both teams struggled to find a footing Saturday afternoon. Neither team reached 30 points in the first half and there were no players with more than 10 points in the first 20 minutes.
Morningside had the momentum entering the second half in large part to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Brendan Buckley. The shot was Buckley’s only make of the half, but it gave Morningside a 28-22 lead heading into the locker room.
The difference maker in the second half was a motivated Ely Doble. The senior from Gretna, Nebraska racked up 20 of Morningside 33 second-half points. Doble didn’t make a basket in the first half and only had three points at the intermission, but he came out firing in the second half, making 6-of-9 shots and going 8-for-8 at the free throw line.
Morningside shot 34% from the field, but a 20-for-22 performance at the charity stripe was clutch. Georgetown tied the game at 59 with 10 seconds left. Joey Skoff, who scored 12 points on the heels of a career-high 38 points Friday, was fouled bringing the ball up the court with six seconds left. He converted both free throws to take a two-point lead and Brendan Buckley stole a pass as time was expiring to seal the win.
The Mustangs are making their second straight trip to Kansas City and await the final site schedule.
