[Women's Basketball] Mustangs overcome turnovers to upset Tigers

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- If the Mount Mercy women's basketball team had lost on Wednesday night, they would only have themselves to blame. The Mustangs overcame a ton of turnovers to upset 11th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan, 73-69, in a pivotal Midwest Collegiate Conference showdown at Hennessey Recreation Center.

Both teams struggled to take care of the ball. The Tigers (21-6, 12-3 MCC) and Mustangs (17-12, 11-4 MCC) combined for 30 turnovers in the first half, which ended with Iowa Wesleyan in front, 28-27. Things didn't change much after the break as Mount Mercy committed 17 more miscues to finish with 31 in the game. But, when they didn't turn it over, Mount Mercy capitalized by shooting 64.7 percent from the floor in the second half.

There were 10 ties and 12 lead changes in the contest, the final one coming when junior guard Emily Greiner nailed a 3-pointer to give the Mustangs a 52-49 advantage with 8:39 to go. Junior guard Ashley Koch hit another trey on Mount Mercy's next possession and freshman forward Amanda Frost knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 57-49 with just over six minutes to play.

A 3-point play by Kristen Lutz and a jumper by Jessi Beachey quickly got the Tigers back within three, 59-56, with 4:58 remaining. The Mustangs would seal the win at the foul line down the stretch, however, making 14-of-16 free throws over the game's final four minutes to avenge a 73-51 loss at Iowa Wesleyan on Jan. 19 in Mount Pleasant.

Even with Wednesday's win, Mount Mercy can finish anywhere from second to fourth in the MCC standings. With one regular season game remaining, the Mustangs are tied for third place with William Penn (20-9, 11-4 MCC). Mount Mercy hosts Viterbo (Wis.) (10-18, 5-10 MCC) on Seniors Day on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center. Iowa Wesleyan can still clinch a share of the conference title with a win at league-leading St. Ambrose (24-4, 13-2 MCC) this weekend.

Greiner was quiet for most of the first half on Wednesday, but hit a pair of 3-pointers right before the break and added 12 more points in the second period to finish with 18 on the night. She did all of her damage from beyond the arc and at the free throw line, going 4-of-6 from long range and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line.

Junior forward Bria Fields, sidelined for the better part of a month with a knee injury, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Mustangs. Koch joined Greiner and Fields in double figures with 12 points. She also grabbed five boards and a game-high five steals. Frost and senior guard Kadie Carman chipped in eight points apiece off the bench.

Melanie McCreight, the NAIA Division II Player of the Week a week ago, scored a game-high 20 points for the Tigers. Anna Jones had 15 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Jill Ginder tallied 11 points and seven boards. Beachey, and NAIA all-American last season, was limited to four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.