MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan was tied with No. 9 Morningside late in the fourth quarter 72-72. Ultimately a couple of costly turnovers and missed free throws proved costly for the Tigers, as Morningside (24-4, 19-2 GPAC) defeated DWU (22-7, 14-7 GPAC) 80-74.
Sophia Peppers led Morningside with 24 points and hit the game-clinching jumper with 1:02 left to give the Mustangs a 76-72 lead.
Matti Reiner led DWU with 23 points. Aspen Hansen had 10 points and Jada Campbell had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
With the loss, the DWU Tigers lost step with Northwestern in the GPAC Standings and sits fourth with one game left on the schedule. The Tigers close out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Corn Palace against Concordia. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. Pregame coverage on KMIT 105.9 FM will begin at 3:40 p.m.