[Women's Basketball] Mustangs roll into MCC semifinals

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy dominated the paint and the perimeter in the quarterfinals of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Thursday night at Hennessey Recreation Center, defeating Viterbo (Wis.) for the second time in less than a week, 66-48, to earn a berth in Saturday's MCC semifinals.

The Mustangs, who clinched the No. 2 seed in the tournament with a 75-47 victory over the V-Hawks in their regular season finale last weekend, were back at full strength on Thursday with junior guard Micha Mims back in the starting lineup after missing nearly three weeks with an ankle injury. She and backcourt running mate Emily Greiner combined for 32 points against the seventh-seeded V-Hawks, while junior forward Bria Fields and freshman forward Amanda Frost totaled 18 points and 16 rebounds for Mount Mercy.

The Mustangs shot 47 percent from the field, outscored the V-Hawks at the free throw line, 12-2, and held a 36-31 advantage on the glass. Greiner maneuvered closer to the 1,000-point mark, pouring in a game-high 20 points to give her 952 in 94 career games. Her 80th 3-pointer of the year moved her past Jessie Dirks and into third place on the single-season chart. Mims, who added 12 points, nailed three treys to give her 63 on the season, which ranks 10th.

While Greiner and Mims did their damage from the perimeter and in transition, Fields and Frost controlled the paint. Fields, who missed some time with a knee injury this season, scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Frost was 5-of-7 from the floor and hauled down six boards off the bench. Senior guard Kadie Carman had seven points and junior guard Ashley Koch finished with seven assists for the Mustangs.

Paige Babiash made four triples and scored 15 points for the V-Hawks (10-20). Dani Templin, one of the MCC's leading scorers, overcame a slow start to finish with 14 points and nine rebounds. Laquita Becker chipped in seven points and four assists, Emily Larson and Jess Pavlinec had five points apiece.

Mount Mercy (19-12) can clinch its third straight 20-win season with a victory over third-seeded William Penn (22-9) on Saturday. Both teams come in having won three straight games. The Lady Statesmen broke open a close game and routed sixth-seeded Clarke, 77-48, in the quarterfinals. Mount Mercy and William Penn split their regular season series. The Lady Statesmen needed overtime to edge the Mustangs, 74-66, on Dec. 4 in Oskaloosa, while Mount Mercy defeated Penn, 87-67, on Jan. 29 in Cedar Rapids.

The start time for Saturday's semifinals has been changed to 7:00 p.m. William Penn travels to Mount Mercy in one matchup, while top-seeded St. Ambrose (26-4) hosts fourth-seeded Iowa Wesleyan (22-7) in the other semifinal. Both squads cruised in the quarterfinals. The 12th-ranked Queen Bees pounded eighth-seeded Waldorf, 66-41, and the 16th-ranked Tigers blitzed fifth-seeded Grand View, 78-43. The highest remaining seed hosts the championship game of the MCC Tournament on Monday at 7:00 p.m.