[Women's Basketball] Halftime lead doesn’t hold up for Mustangs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy grabbed a six-point halftime lead, but went cold from the field after the break and dropped its third straight Midwest Collegiate Conference game, 65-61, to Grand View on Monday at Hennessey Recreation Center.

The 15th-ranked Mustangs (15-7, 7-3 MCC) shot 44.8 percent from the floor while building a 36-30 lead at intermission. But the second half was a different story as Mount Mercy connected on just 27.6 percent of its field goal attempts. That included a 1-of-13 showing from 3-point range where the Mustangs were 6-of-25 on the night.

The 10th-ranked Vikings (17-5, 9-1 MCC) led by as many as nine points in the second period, but Mount Mercy got back in it each time. The Mustangs were within two, 63-61, on a free throw by junior guard Brooke Quigley with 18 seconds left. An Amy Vos foul shot put Grand View back up, 64-61, with 15 seconds on the clock. After timeouts by each team, Mount Mercy got a bad look at a 3-pointer to tie it, the Vikings rebounded the miss and Kristin Rasmussen's free throw with four seconds to go sealed Grand View's seventh straight win.

Senior guard Emily Greiner had 20 points and eight rebounds to pace the Mustangs. Senior guard Micha Mims added 16 points and four assists, sophomore forward Amanda Frost nine points and six boards. Quigley finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists, while senior guard Laura Lippert hauled down a game-high nine boards.

Grand View's Jennifer Jorgensen, the leading scorer in NAIA Division II at nearly 24 points per game, poured in 22 on Wednesday to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Morgan Hamner chipped in 15 points, Vos ended up with nine and Abby Mendlik had seven points.

Mount Mercy goes back on the road for three games, beginning with a trip to Dubuque to face Clarke (5-16, 2-8 MCC) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kehl Center.