Broncos Cruise to 80-58 Win Over Mustangs

(Sioux City, IA) – The women's basketball team traveled to Morningside on Saturday, running away with a 80-58 win against the Mustangs.

Sophomore Tathis Arredondo gave Hastings the early lead with a three-pointer and drilled another from downtown after Morningside answered with a triple. Hastings took a 10-6 lead with a couple of twos from freshman McKenna Yates and sophomore Rachel Goodon with 6:36 left in the first.

Leading 10-8, junior Mariyah Avila laid it in for two and freshman Ann Bose scored five quick points off the bench to go up 17-8. Bose later pushed the lead to nine on a mid-range jumper. A 5-0 Morningside run cut the lead to five with 49 seconds left, but Avila found Yates, who dropped in a three on their last possession of the quarter, giving them a 23-15 advantage.

The first three field goals by Hastings in the second quarter were from three, as the shots by Arredondo, Yates, and senior Alyssa Baker put the Broncos up 13 with 5:24 left in the half. Leading 36-23, Yates scored twice inside the paint in less than a minute to go up 17 with 1:22 left.

Yates was not done in the quarter, drilling a three off the feed from Avila after a couple of offensive rebounds. Hastings forced a missed three on the other end and Avila knocked down a three right before the half to go up 46-23 at the break, outscoring the Mustangs 23-8 in the second.

Hastings shot 47 percent overall and 53 percent from three in the opening half and forced the Mustangs to shoot 29 percent from the field and 19 percent from three. Hastings outrebounded Morningside, 28-18, and forced eight turnovers - all of which occurred in the first quarter. Yates led the Broncos with 15 first half points and a couple of assists.

Junior Macy Bryant opened the second half with a layup, but Morningside cut into the lead with a 6-0 run in the next minute. Yates quieted the crowd with her fourth three-pointer and a steal and score by Bose extended the lead back to 24. 

The Broncos led by as much as 27 in the quarter at 57-32 with 5:09 left, but Morningside ended the half on a 13-4 to make it a 61-45 game going to the fourth, with seven of those points coming from the foul line. The Mustangs shot 55 percent in the quarter and allowed just one Bronco three.

Bose took back the momentum for the Broncos by draining a three to open the fourth quarter. She scored another basket a couple of minutes laters as both teams traded baskets, with Hastings holding a 70-51 lead halfway through the quarter.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Avila and Yates put the lead out of reach, as they went back up 25 with 3:21 remaining. From there the Broncos cruised their way to the finish line, winning 80-58.

For the game, the Broncos shot 43 percent from the field and made 13 threes at a 39 percent clip, while holding Morningside to 33 percent overall and was just 5-25 from three. Hastings also held a sizable advantage on the boards, 48-39, and scored 27 points off of 22 turnovers.

Yates ended the game with 21 points and Bose had 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals in 14 minutes off the bench. Bryant's nine rebounds led the team to go along with four points and two steals. Avila stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, a game-high eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals.

Up next, Hastings will host Concordia at 6pm on Wednesday, Feb. 12 in Lynn Farrell Arena.