[Women's Basketball] Mustangs close out V-Hawks, earn second seed

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy outscored Viterbo (Wis.), 36-8, over the final 13 minutes of the game and defeated the V-Hawks, 75-47, at Hennessey Recreation Center on Saturday to clinch the second seed in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.

For the second game in a row, the Mustangs had to overcome a bunch of turnovers in the first half. After trailing 12-3 out of the gate, Mount Mercy settled in and took a 29-27 advantage at the break despite 11 first-period turnovers.

Viterbo took a 32-29 lead on a Paige Babiash 3-pointer a minute into the second half, but moments later, back-to-back layups by senior forward Tonya Davis moved the Mustangs back in front, 33-32. The V-Hawks held their final lead of the day, 37-36, with 16 minutes to go.

From that point on, it was all Mustangs. The game was tied at 39 before Mount Mercy went on a 14-0 run to take command. The Mustangs led by as many as 29 on the way to their sixth win in seven games. Mount Mercy is 12-3 since losses to third-ranked Morningside and Briar Cliff at the end of December.

It was Seniors Day for the Mustangs, but a pair of juniors led the way on Saturday. Bria Fields poured in a game-high 22 points in 18 minutes, and Emily Greiner added 15 points for Mount Mercy. Greiner hit three more treys, tying her with Jessie Dirks for the third-best single-season total in school history. She also ranks fifth in career 3-pointers with 157.

Freshman forward Amanda Frost chipped in nine points. Seniors Tonya Davis and Kadie Carman played their final regular season home games in a Mustang uniform. Davis contributed nine points and a pair of rebounds, while Carman finished with four points and three steals.

Dani Templin had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the V-Hawks. Babiash scored nine points, and Brooke Anderson tallied nine points and four assists.

Mount Mercy (18-12, 12-4 MCC) clinched the No. 2 seed in the MCC Tournament with Iowa Wesleyan's 51-42 loss at St. Ambrose. Seventh-seeded Viterbo (10-19, 5-11 MCC) will come back to Cedar Rapids on Thursday for an MCC quarterfinal at 7:00 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center.

In other quarterfinal action on Thursday, top-seeded St. Ambrose (25-4, 14-2 MCC) hosts eighth-seeded Waldorf (5-23, 2-14 MCC), third-seeded William Penn (21-9, 12-4 MCC) hosts sixth-seeded Clarke (9-20, 5-11 MCC), and fourth-seeded Iowa Wesleyan (21-7, 12-4 MCC) hosts fifth-seeded Grand View (14-16, 9-7 MCC).

The higher seed hosts each game throughout the tournament. The MCC semifinals are Saturday, Feb. 26, and the matchups will be Mount Mercy/Viterbo against William Penn/Clarke and St. Ambrose/Waldorf versus Iowa Wesleyan/Grand View. The MCC championship game is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28, with the winner earning the league's automatic berth in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship March 9-15 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.