[Women's Basketball] Mustangs enter top 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mount Mercy has cracked the top 10 in the national rankings for the first time since 1995, coming in at No. 9 in this week's NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced today.

The Mustangs (13-4, 5-0 MCC) own an eight-game winning streak and are the only unbeaten team remaining in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. They haven't lost since an 82-67 defeat against NCAA Division II Minnesota, Crookston, at the Radisson Roseville Classic on Nov. 26.

Since that loss, Mount Mercy has beaten a pair of ranked opponents on the road, then-sixth-ranked Grand View and 18th-ranked Cardinal Stritch (Wis.), and snapped a four-game losing streak to intra-city rival Coe. The Mustangs have outscored opponents by almost 16 points per game over their last eight games.

Indiana Wesleyan (17-1) kept its hold on the top spot for the fourth consecutive week. The Wildcats received all 14 first-place votes for 374 points. Briar Cliff (16-3/352 pts.), Davenport (Mich.) (16-2/351 pts.), College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (14-3/347 pts.) and Morningside (13-5/324 pts.) round out the top five. The next five includes Concordia (Neb.) (14-2/305 pts.), Concordia (Mich.) (14-3/286 pts.), Bethel (Ind.) (14-3/285 pts.), Mount Mercy (267 pts.) and Northwestern (13-4/256 pts.).

The last time the Mustangs were ranked in the top 10 was during the 1994-95 season when they finished 29-6 and reached the Final Four at the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship. That was also Mount Mercy's last national tournament appearance.

The Mustangs are on the road again this week at St. Ambrose and AIB. Mount Mercy travels to Davenport to face the Queen Bees (6-8, 2-3 MCC) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena. St. Ambrose was ranked as high as 10th in the nation earlier this season. The Mustangs take on AIB on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Des Moines.