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Pudenz And Gass Receive MVP Awards
Sale Announces Additions For 2006-07
Mustangs Enjoy Another Banner Campaign
Pudenz Is Second-Team All-American
Reynolds And Watson Are NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes
Mustangs Bow Out Of National Tourney In 2nd Round
Mustangs Roll In National Tourney Opener
Pudenz And Gass Named To All-GPAC First-Team
Mustangs Romp Past Northwestern In GPAC Title Game
Gass Is GPAC Player Of The Week
Mustangs Ranked Fifth In The Nation
Pudenz Is GPAC Player Of The Week
Mustangs Retire Jersey Numbers Of Carper And Cloud
Mustangs Ranked No. 1 In Pre-Season Poll
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Jill Pudenz |
Dani Gass |
Jill Pudenz, a 5-9 senior guard from Iowa Falls, Iowa, received the Morningside College women’s basketball team’s Most Valuable Player Award at the Mustangs’ post-season awards banquet held Saturday at Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.
Pudenz was the Mustangs’ leading scorer and second leading rebounder this past season with averages of 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Pudenz, a second-team NAIA Division II All-American, finished her career as the 11th leading scorer and 15th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,282 career points and 529 career rebounds, respectively.
Pudenz, who also received the Mustangs’ Defensive MVP Award, led the Mustangs with 114 steals for an average of 3.3 thefts per game. Pudenz finished her career with a Morningside-record 366 career steals to break the Mustangs’ former standard of 359 career steals by 2005 graduate Brittany Carper.
Dani Gass, a 5-9 freshman guard from Sioux City, received the Mustangs’ Offensive MVP Award. Gass was the Mustangs’ second leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She also led the team with 136 assists for an average of 3.9 per game and topped the team in field goal percentage with 158 hoops in 337 attempts for 46.9 percent.
Betsy Reynolds, a 5-8 junior guard from Sioux City, received the Mustangs’ Most Improved Player Award and the Sixth Man Award. Reynolds was the top scorer off the Mustangs’ bench with an average of 4.8 points per game to compliment a norm of 1.9 rebounds per contest. She was one of the Mustangs’ best 3-point threats with 40 3-point field goals in 102 attempts for 39.2 percent.
Morningside College women’s basketball head coach Jamie Sale has announced that Kristi Tighe, a 5-7 guard from Homer, Neb., will join the Mustangs next season as a transfer from NCAA Division II University of South Dakota.
Tighe, a two-year letterwinner who made 53 of 126 3-point field goal attempts for 42.1 percent during her South Dakota career, will join the Mustangs with junior eligibility. She also plans to compete for the Mustangs’ women’s golf team.
She averaged 3.4 points and 0.9 rebounds per game and had 12 assists and 10 steals in 22 contests for the Coyotes last season. Tighe was a 3-point field goal specialist for the Coyotes as all 24 of her field goals came from beyond the 3-point arc, where she made 24 of 69 attempts for 34.8 percent.
Tighe was the Coyotes’ sixth leading scorer as a freshman when she averaged 5.8 points and 0.7 rebounds per game and had 13 assists and eight steals in 19 contests. She scored a career-high 21 points in an 88-47 victory against Chadron State College. Tighe drilled 29 of 57 3-point field goal attempts for 50.9 percent during her freshman campaign. She made 33 of 70 overall field goal attempts for 47.1 percent and converted 15 of 18 free throw attempts for 83.3 percent.
She is a 2004 graduate of Homer High School, where she is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,398 career points as well as their all-time leader with 157 career 3-point field goals. Tighe averaged 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game as a senior en route to second-team Class C-2 all-state honors from the Lincoln Journal-Star. Tighe drilled 57 of 136 3-point field goal attempts for 41.9 percent and converted 78.7 percent of her free throw attempts as a senior.
She joins a list of high school recruits Sale announced earlier this year. The high school recruits are:
Leslie Foral, a 6-0 point guard from Chadron, Neb. Foral is a 2006 graduate of Chadron High School, where she earned second-team all-state honors this past season.while Nelson helped lead Crofton to back-to-back Class C-1 state championships.
Foral amassed a school-record 253 steals during her Chadron career and ranks second in school history with 251 assists and is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring chart with 793 career points.
She averaged 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and set school records with 142 assists and 119 steals for averages of 5.9 assists and 5.0 steals per game this past season en route to second-team Class C-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald. Foral, who was also named the Scottsbluff Star-Herald’s 2006 Player of the Year, made 105 of 235 field goal attempts for 44.7 percent, 32 of 93 3-point field goal attempts for 34.4 percent, and 72 of 106 free throw attempts for 67.9 percent. Foral had season’s highs of 26 points in games against Nebraska City and Alliance, 13 rebounds against Perkins County, 14 assists against Red Cloud (S.D.), and 11 steals against Mitchell.
Foral averaged 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 steals, and 2.6 assists per game as a junior en route to honorable mention all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald. She averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.3 assists per game as a sophomore.
J.J. Hall, a 5-9 guard from Exeter, Neb. Hall is a 2006 graduate of Exeter-Milligan High School, where she was a three-time first-team all-state selection of the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star. Hall scored a school-record 1,282 points during her Exeter-Milligan career and was a three-time first-team All-Crossroads Conference selection. She averaged 14.9 points, 4.4 steals, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during her Exeter-Milligan career. Hall made 466 of 953 field goal attempts for 48.9 percent, 159 of 398 3-point field goal attempts for 39.9 percent, and 191 of 254 free throw attempts for 75.2 percent.
Hall averaged 17 points and four rebounds per game this past season en route to first-team Class C-2 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star. She was also an Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star first-team C-2 all-stater as a junior when she averaged 15.3 points per game. Hall averaged 13.1 points per game as a sophomore en route to first-team Class D-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star.
Mackenzi Mendlik, a 5-7 guard from Denison, Iowa. Mendlik is a 2006 graduate of Denison-Schleswig High School, where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner and a three-year starter. She earned second-team All-Hawkeye 10 Conference and honorable mention Omaha World-Herald Class 4A/3A All-Western Iowa honors this past season after she helped lead Denison-Schleswig to the Hawkeye 10 Conference title with a 17-1 league record. Mendlik averaged 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. She led the team with 135 assists for an average of 5.9 per game and ranked second on the team with 70 steals for an average of 3.0 per game.
Kayla Miller, a 5-9 forward from South Sioux City, Neb. Miller is a 2006 graduate of South Sioux City High School, where she earned honorable mention Class B all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald this past season. She also received honorable mention All-River Cities Athletic Conference and honorable mention Sioux City Journal All-Metro honors. Miller averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and had 44 steals and 38 assists. She made 95 of 217 field goal attempts for 43.8 percent.
Roni Miller, a 5-10 forward from Lawton, Iowa. Miller is a 2006 graduate of Lawton-Bronson High School, where she was a four-year starter and a three-time first-team All-Maple Valley Conference performer. Miller will graduate as the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 782 career points and 747 career rebounds, respectively. She is also Lawton-Bronson’s all-time leader with 198 career steals and their co-leader with 166 career assists.
Miller earned fifth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors this past season when she averaged 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She finished the campaign with 224 rebounds for the highest single-season rebound total in Lawton-Bronson history. Miller also had 65 assists and 47 steals and made 112 of 220 field goal attempts for 50.9 percent.
Miller earned fourth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a junior.
Brooke Nelson, a 5-7 point guard from Crofton, Neb. Nelson is a 2006 graduate of Crofton High School, where she was the starting point guard when the school posted a combined 45-3 record, put together a 32-game winning streak, and won back-to-back Class C-1 state titles over the past two seasons.
Nelson averaged 4.5 assists, three points, and two steals per game this past season and received the Lady Warriors’ Defensive Co-MVP and Hustler of the Year Awards. She earned honorable mention all-conference honors. She averaged three points, 2.8 assists, and one steal per game and received Crofton’s Defensive MVP Award during her junior campaign.
Laura Nelson, a 5-11 forward from Jefferson, Iowa. Nelson is a senior at Jefferson-Scranton High School, where she earned third-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) this past season. Nelson averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game with shooting figures of 47.3 percent from the field and 71.0 percent from the free-throw line. She scored a season’s high 33 points against Winterset for the second highest single-game scoring total in Jefferson-Scranton history. Nelson made a school-record 14 field goals in the Winterset game.
Nelson, a four-year varsity letterwinner, earned first-team All-Raccoon River Conference honors as a senior and honorable mention all-league honors as a junior.
Chelsea Powell, a 5-8 guard from Missouri Valley, Iowa. Powell is a 2006 graduate of Missouri Valley High School, where she was a three-year letterwinner. She averaged 6.5 points per game this past season with a high of 15 points against Logan-Magnolia. Powell had 48 assists for an average of 2.4 per game and made 37 of 94 3-point field goal attempts for 39.4 percent.
Katie Sponder, a 5-9 guard from Le Mars, Iowa. Sponder is a 2006 graduate of Le Mars Community High School, where she finished her career as the second leading scorer in Bulldog history with 1,111 career points. Sponder also ranks second in Le Mars Community history with 243 career steals and fourth with 231 career assists.
She earned third-team Class 3A INA all-state honors in addition to third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa and first-team All-Lakes Conference laurels this past season. Sponder averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 steals, and 3.4 assists per game and made 128 of 312 field goal attempts for 41.0 percent and 92 of 126 free throw attempts for 73.0 percent. Sponder had season’s highs of 26 points against Storm Lake, 11 rebounds against South Sioux City, 10 steals against Hull Western Christian, and seven assists against Storm Lake.
Sponder also received third-team INA all-state, third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa, and first-team All-Lakes Conference honors as a junior when she averaged 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. She was a second-team All-Lakes Conference selection as a freshman and sophomore.
Alisha Wheat, a 5-6 guard from Sioux City. Wheat is a 2006 graduate of Sioux City East High School, where she was a two-year varsity letterwinner. Wheat averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 steals, and 2.1 assists per game as the Black Raiders’ starting point guard this past season. She led the team with 63 steals.
Brittany Williamson, a 6-1 center from Ruthven, Iowa. Williamson is a 2006 graduate of Emmetsburg High School, where she earned second-team Class 2A all-state honors from the INA this past season after she averaged 19.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Williamson, a first-team All-Lakes Conference selection, also had 41 steals, 38 blocked shots, and 31 assists for norms of 1.7 steals, 1.6 blocked shots, and 1.3 assists per game. Williamson is a player who can force opposing post players to come out to defend the outside shot. She drilled 27 of 59 3-point field goal attempts for 45.8 percent this past season. Williamson made 179 of 421 overall field goal attempts for 42.5 percent and converted 80 of 108 free throw attempts for 74.1 percent.
She scored in double figures in all 24 of the E-Hawks’ games, including a season’s high 35 points against Okoboji. Williamson had nine double figure rebounding performances, including six double figure rebound totals in her last seven games. She grabbed a season’s high 18 rebounds in Emmetsburg’s season’s finale against Clarion-Goldfield.
Although the Morningside College’s women’s basketball team saw their two-year reign as NAIA Division II National Champions end, the Mustangs continued to rank among the nation’s elite this past winter.
The Mustangs posted a 28-7 record during the 2005-06 campaign, were Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season co-champions with a 16-2 league record, were GPAC post-season tournament champions, and were ranked fifth nationally in the final NAIA Division II regular season poll. Not even the Mustangs’ 2004 and 2005 NAIA Division II National Championship teams were able to win both the GPAC’s regular season and post-season tournament championships in the same season.
The Mustangs have a combined record of 97-14 for a .874 winning percentage over the past three seasons.
 Jill Pudenz, a 5-9 senior guard from Iowa Falls, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer and second leading rebounder and took her place among the Mustangs’ all-time leaders in the process. She averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and also topped the team with 114 steals for an average of 3.3 thefts per game. She finished her career with 366 steals to break the former Morningside record of 359 career steals held by 2005 graduate Brittany Carper. Pudenz is the 11th leading scorer and 15th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,282 career points and 529 career rebounds, respectively.
 While the Mustangs’ leading scorer was a senior, their top rebounder was a freshman as Dani Gass, a 5-9 guard from Sioux City, averaged a team-high 7.6 caroms per game and was their second leading scorer at 12.5 ppg. Gass also led the Mustangs with 136 assists for an average of 3.9 per game and topped the team in field goal accuracy with 158 hoops in 337 attempts for 46.9 percent.
Jennifer Francescon, a 5-9 senior guard from Moline, Ill., led the Mustangs with 77 3-point field goals and was their most accurate free throw shooter with 44 free throws in 54 attempts for 81.5 percent. Francescon, who joined the Mustangs last season as a transfer from Kirkwood Community College, finished her career in 32nd place on the Mustangs’ all-time scoring list with 693 career points.
Kayla Wibben, a 5-10 senior forward from Ellsworth, Minn., and Beth Watson, a 5-10 senior guard from Elk Horn, Iowa, also finished their careers among Morningside’s all-time scoring leaders. Wibben is in 18th place on the Mustangs’ all-time scoring list with 952 career points and is the 21st leading rebounder in Morningside history with 410 career rebounds. Watson is the 22nd leading scorer in the Morningside record book with 855 career points.
Watson was the Mustangs’ most accurate 3-point shooter this season with 42 treys in 104 attempts for 40.4 percent.
Autumn Bartel, a 5-8 freshman guard from Cherokee, Iowa, led the Mustangs in blocked shots with 13 rejections and scored at a double figure clip with an average of 11.4 points per game.
 Jill Pudenz, a 5-9 senior guard from Iowa Falls, Iowa, was named to the second-team of the 2006 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball All-America team announced Tuesday evening.
Pudenz was the leading scorer and second leading rebounder for a Morningside team that made its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament. She averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Pudenz also led the team with 114 steals and ranked second on the team with 84 assists for norms of 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Pudenz made 164 of 385 field goal attempts for 42.6 percent, 24 of 79 3-point field goal attempts for 30.4 percent, and 139 of 182 free throw attempts for 76.4 percent.
She led the Mustangs with 30 double figure scoring performances and had the team’s top single-game scoring performance of the season with 31 points against Hastings College on Jan. 28. Her top rebounding effort was a career-high 10 caroms against Ottawa University on Nov. 15.
Pudenz, a four-year starter, finished her career as Morningside’s all-time leader with 366 career steals. She is the 11th leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,282 career points and the college’s 15th leading all-time rebounder with 529 career rebounds.
Her exploits helped lead the Mustangs to a 28-7 record and a No. 5 national ranking in the final regular season NAIA Division II poll. Morningside was this year’s Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season co-champion with a 16-2 league record and the GPAC’s post-season tournament champion with an 81-65 victory against Northwestern College in the championship game.
Click here for the complete 2006 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball All-America team.
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Betsy Reynolds |
Beth Watson |
Betsy Reynolds, a 5-8 junior guard from Sioux City, and Beth Watson, a 5-10 senior guard from Elk Horn, Iowa, have been named 2006 Daktronics NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes in the sport of women’s basketball.
Reynolds has a 3.68 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in elementary education. Watson has a 3.51 cumulative GPA with a double major in religious studies and psychology counseling.
Reynolds was the top scorer off the Mustangs’ bench this season with an average of 4.8 points per game. She also averaged 1.9 rebounds per game to go along with 27 assists and 25 steals. She made 58 of 152 field goal attempts for 38.2 percent, 40 of 102 3-point field goal attempts for 39.2 percent, and 13 of 20 free throw attempts for 65.0 percent.
Watson was the Mustangs’ most accurate 3-point shooter with 42 treys in 104 attempts for 40.4 percent. Watson made 56 of 128 overall field goal attempts for 43.8 percent. She averaged 4.5 points and 1.0 rebounds per game off the Mustangs’ bench. Her statistics also included 28 assists and 12 steals.
Daktronics NAIA Women’s Basketball All-America Scholar-Athletes must be of at least junior status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Click here for the complete 2006 Daktronics NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete Women's Basketball team.
Morningside’s dream for an unprecedented third consecutive NAIA Division II National Championship ended in Friday’s second round of the national tournament with an 80-60 upset loss against 13th-ranked Cardinal Stritch University.
The fifth-ranked Mustangs, who had defeated the Wolves 70-55 when the teams met in the regular season on Dec. 29 in the Surf City Classic at Huntington Beach, Calif., bowed out with a 28-7 record. Morningside lost for the first time ever in what proved to be an unlucky 13th appearance in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.
The Mustangs had won 16 of their previous 17 games going into the contest and had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
The win for Cardinal Stritch was one of the biggest in the history of the Wolves program, as they knocked off a Morningside team that posted a 97-14 record for a .874 winning percentage with a pair of national championships over the last three seasons.
Cardinal Stritch had reeled off 15 consecutive victories after its Dec. 29 loss against Morningside before it lost 68-50 against Judson College in the championship game of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s post-season tournament. The Wolves move on with a 28-4 record to the NAIA Division II quarterfinals, where they will meet the University of Saint Francis on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Cold shooting did the Mustangs in as they never recovered from a first half where they connected on only 28.1 percent of their field goal attempts and made only one of 11 3-point bids. Morningside finished the contest with 20 field goals in 60 attempts for a dismal 33.3 percent.
Aside from their cold shooting, the Mustangs were able to force the Wolves into only 12 turnovers, 15 below the norm of 27 miscues per game the Mustangs’ opponents averaged this season. The Mustangs, who had outrebounded Cardinal Stritch by a 50-34 margin during the regular season, were outboarded 48-33 in the rematch.
Katie Rogers, who played at NCAA Division II Northern Michigan as a freshman, paced the Wolves with 24 points and was joined in double figures by Megan Pazdera with 18 tallies. Carlie Weber grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the Wolves to their board advantage.
Dani Gass led the Mustangs with 17 points, while Jill Pudenz and Kayla Wibben each added 10. Alisha Willey was next with seven off the bench.
Pudenz collected six rebounds for Mustang honors.
The Wolves scored the first five points of the game and went up by nine points, 18-9, when Kate Rogers made a 3-pointer with 13:20 left in the first half.
The Mustangs closed within two points, 20-18, on a basket by Dani Gass with 7:41 left, but Cardinal Stritch answered with a nine-point run to move in front 29-18 with 6:32 left in the half for its first double figure lead of the night. The Mustangs’ deficit was 41-25 by the intermission.
The Wolves picked up from where they left off to start the second half when Rogers made the opening hoop, followed by a 3-pointer by Pazdera, to push their advantage to 21 points at 46-25. The biggest difference of the game was 27 points, 66-39, after Pazdera made a pair of free throws with 9:18 left.
Click here for complete game statistics.
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Jamie Sale |
Jennifer Francescon |
The two-time reigning NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Champion Mustangs cruised through the first round of the 2006 national tournament with an 82-62 victory against the Univeristy of Virginia's College at Wise on Thursday.
It was a historic night for Morningside head coach Jamie Sale, who chalked up the 200th triumph of his collegiate career. Sale, who was previously the head coach at city rival Briar Cliff, raised his career record to 200-68, including a 121-48 mark at Morningside.
The Mustangs, in quest of an unprecedented third consecutive NAIA II national crown, improved their all-time record in the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena to 12-0. They will meet Cardinal Stritch University, a 69-62 first round winner against Notre Dame College, in Friday's second round at 7:30 p.m. Morningside defeated Cardinal Stritch 70-55 during the regular season when the teams met on Dec. 29 at the Surf City Classic at Huntington Beach, Calif.
Morningside will take a nine-game winning streak into Friday's second round. The Mustangs, 28-6 on the season, have won 16 of their last 17 contests.
The Mustangs got off to an impressive start in their win against Virginia-Wise by scoring the first 13 points of the game.
Morningside dominated the boards with a 53-36 rebounding surplus and pressured the Lady Cavs into a chilly 36.9 percent shooting performance from the field.
Virginia-Wise shot just 30.0 percent in the first half when the Mustangs took a 43-26 lead into the intermission.
Jennifer Francescon, who scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Mustangs to an 81-65 win against Northwestern College in last week's GPAC Tournament Championship Game, led the way again with 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack. She was joined in double figures by fellow starters Dani Gass, Jill Pudenz, and Autumn Bartel, who each scored 10 points, while Alisha Willey led the bench brigade with 11 points. Kayla Wibben and Vanessa Hasley were next with seven points each.
Gass grabbed eight rebounds and Wibben added seven caroms to lead the Mustangs' to their second highest team rebound total of the season.
Pudenz was the Mustangs' defensive leader with three steals to raise her total to a school-record 365 career steals.
Gass and Willey shared Mustang honors with four assists.
Click here for complete game statistics.
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Dani Gass |
Jill Pudenz |
Dani Gass, a 5-11 freshman guard from Sioux City, and Jill Pudenz, a 5-9 senior guard from Iowa Falls, Iowa, have been named to the first-team of the 2006 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) women’s basketball team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
Gass was also named the GPAC’s Freshman of the Year.
Gass and Pudenz are the top two scorers and rebounders for a Morningside team that will make a fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament slated for March 8 to 14 at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. The Mustangs, two-time defending national champions, earned their national tournament spot with an 81-65 victory against Northwestern College in Tuesday’s championship game of the GPAC’s post-season tournament.
In addition to their two first-team selections, the Mustangs’ Autumn Bartel, a 5-8 freshman guard from Cherokee, Iowa, and Jennifer Francescon, a 5-9 senior guard from Moline, Ill., were named to the All-GPAC second-team. Kayla Wibben, a 5-10 senior forward from Ellsworth, Minn., was named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.
Gass is the Mustangs’ leading rebounder and second leading scorer with averages of 7.7 rebounds and 12.4 points per game. She has a team-high eight double-doubles and six scoring performances of 20 points or more. Gass has been the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 24 of their 33 games. Aside from her scoring and rebounding exploits, she also leads the Mustangs with 129 assists and is their co-leader with 110 steals for averages of 3.9 assists and 3.3 steals per game. She has made 150 of 323 field goal attempts for 46.4 percent and 105 of 146 free throw attempts for 71.9 percent.
Pudenz, a four-year starter, was an All-GPAC second-team selection last year. She is the Mustangs’ leading scorer and second leading rebounder with norms of 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. Pudenz is the Mustangs’ co-leader with 110 steals for an average of 3.3 per game and ranks second on the team with 80 assists for an average of 2.4 per game. She tops the team with 27 double figure scoring performances. Pudenz has made 158 of 366 field goal attempts for 43.2 percent, 23 of 76 free throw attempts for 30.3 percent, and 132 of 173 free throw attempts for 76.3 percent.
Pudenz has been one of the main stalwarts in the Mustangs’ signature pressure defense that has led them to a combined 96-13 record for a .881 winning percentage over the past three seasons. She is Morningside’s all-time leader with 362 career steals as well as the 12th leading scorer and 15th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,262 career points and 518 career rebounds, respectively.
Bartel is averaging 11.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a freshman starter. She is one of the Mustangs’ most accurate shooters with 134 field goals in 297 attempts for 45.1 percent, 38 3-point field goals in 98 attempts for 38.8 percent, and 78 free throws in 110 attempts for 70.9 percent. Bartel leads the Mustangs with 13 blocked shots and ranks among the team’s leaders with 50 assists and 50 steals.
Francescon is averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and is the Mustangs’ top 3-point threat with a team-high 73 3-point field goals in 187 attempts for 39.0 percent. She leads the Mustangs in free throw accuracy with 43 free throws in 53 attempts for 81.1 percent. Francescon has made 136 of 338 field goal attempts for 40.2 percent. She has amassed 101 steals for an average of 3.1 per game and has 73 assists for a norm of 2.2 per contest.
Francescon is the 33rd leading scorer in Morningside history with 674 career points.
Wibben, who also earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season, is averaging 6.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She has 46 steals and 28 assists. Wibben has made 86 of 203 field goal attempts for 42.4 percent, 25 of 76 3-point field goal attempts for 32.9 percent, and 20 of 32 free throw attempts for 62.5 percent.
Wibben is the 19th leading scorer and 20th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 935 career points and 399 career rebounds, respectively.
Morningside will take a 27-6 record and a No. 5 national ranking in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
Click here for the complete 2006 All-GPAC Women's Basketball Team.
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Jennifer Francescon |
Vanessa Hasley |
Morningside made one of its most impressive showings of the season to claim the GPAC's post-season women's basketball tournament championship with an 81-65 win against sixth-ranked Northwestern College in Tuesday's title game in Allee Gym.
The Mustangs turned the ball over only nine times while posting a wire-to-wire victory. Morningside, 27-6, and Northwestern, 27-4, will each advance to next week's NAIA Division II National Tournament at Sioux City's Tyson Events Center.
Jennifer Francescon poured in a career-high 31 points to lead the winners. Dani Gass was next with 12 points, Jill Pudenz had 10, and Vanessa Hasley matched her career high with 10 points.
Francescon made six of 12 3-point field goal attempts while topping her former career scoring standard of 22 points against Ottawa University earlier this season.
Hasley made four of her five floor shots. Playing in championship games seems to bring out the best in Hasley as the top scoring effort of last season came in the Mustangs' victory against Cedarville University in the NAIA Division II National Championship Game.
Pudenz and Gass shared game honors with four steals. The four steals by Pudenz raised her career total to 362 for a new Morningside record to break the former mark of 359 career steals by 2005 graduate Brittany Carper.
Gass led the Mustangs with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Northwestern shot 52.1 percent from the field and outrebounded the Mustangs by a 36-28 margin, but was pressured into 26 turnovers, including 16 in the first half when the Mustangs took a 45-30 lead into the intermission.
All-American Deb Remmerde led the Red Raiders with 20 points and 13 rebounds, but was limited to just 13 field goal attempts and was held 11 points below her scoring norm. Miranda Boekhout and Jamie Hoegh each added 12 points. Boekhout added a game-high four blocked shots and dealt seven assists to share game honors with Gass.
Click here for complete game statistics.
 Dani Gass, a 5-9 freshman guard from Sioux City, is this week’s Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she led the Mustangs to a pair of victories last week.
Gass averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 steals in the Mustangs’ 90-86 win against Northwestern College and their 87-71 triumph against the University of Sioux Falls.
She posted game-high totals of 21 points, nine rebounds, a season’s high nine assists, and four steals in the win against Northwestern. Gass followed that performance with game-high totals of 20 points, eight assists, and four steals against Sioux Falls.
Gass leads the Mustangs with five scoring performances of 20 points or more and has been the team’s leading rebounder in 22 of its 30 contests. She has dealt 41 assists over the last six contests for an average of 6.8 per game.
Morningside College is ranked fifth nationally in the final 2005-06 regular season NAIA Division II women’s basketball poll released on Feb. 22.
The Mustangs, two-time defending NAIA Division II National Champions, were ranked sixth in last week’s poll, but traded positions with Northwestern College after they defeated the fifth-ranked Red Raiders 90-86 last Wednesday in Allee Gym.
Morningside finished the regular season with a 24-6 record and posted a 16-2 record in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) competition to share the GPAC’s regular season title with Hastings College. The Mustangs will host the University of Sioux Falls at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the GPAC’s post-season tournament.
Morningside is one of four teams from the GPAC ranked in the top eight. Hastings is ranked third, Northwestern is sixth, and Doane College is eighth.
Click here for the complete NAIA Division II Top 25.
 Jill Pudenz, a 5-9 senior guard from Iowa Falls, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 28 to Dec. 4.
Pudenz led the Mustangs to a pair of conference victories to move them into a tie for first place in the GPAC standings with a 3-0 league record.
Pudenz scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 71-53 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University last Saturday at Lincoln, Neb. Earlier in the week she scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 86-62 triumph against Dordt College on Nov. 30 at Sioux Center, Iowa. Pudenz, who also had 10 steals and four assists in the two games, averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two victories.
She has been the Mustangs’ leading scorer in each of their last four games to take over the Mustangs’ scoring leadership with an average of 14.2 points per game. Pudenz has gone for either a career scoring, rebounding, assist, or steal high in six of the Mustangs’ last eight games. She had career highs of seven steals and seven assists against Robert Morris College on Nov. 5, scored a career-high 19 points against Mount Mercy College on Nov. 11, pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds against Ottawa University on Oct. 15, matched her career high with seven steals against Mount Marty College on Nov. 22, matched her career scoring high with 19 points against Hastings on Nov. 26, then increased her career scoring high to 20 points in last Saturday’s win at Nebraska Wesleyan.
Mustangs Retire Jersey Numbers Of Carper And Cloud
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Brittany Carper |
Megan Cloud |
The Morningside College women’s basketball program may never be blessed with having another dynamic duo like Brittany Carper and Megan Cloud playing together at the same time again.
The Mustangs will never have any players wearing their jersey numbers again as the college officially retired the No. 20 worn by Carper and the No. 22 worn by Cloud over the past four seasons. The jersey retirement ceremony took place prior to the start of Morningside’s women’s basketball game against Mount Mercy College on Nov. 11.
Cloud and Carper graduated from Morningside last spring as the second and third leading women’s basketball scorers in school history with 2,209 and 2,183 career points, respectively. Carper was the 2004 NAIA Division II National Player of the Year, while Cloud was the 2005 NAIA Division II National Player of the Year. They were the driving force behind Morningside’s back-to-back NAIA Division II National Championship run in 2003-04 and 2004-05. They led Morningside to three consecutive national tournament appearances and to a combined record of 69-7 for a .908 winning percentage over the past two seasons.
“Having one national player of the year is a great feat in itself, but having two different players from the same program receive the honor in back-to-back years is truly a rare and remarkable accomplishment,” said Morningside Athletic Director Jerry Schmutte. “We want to recognize them for all they have done for our women’s basketball program, and retiring their numbers certainly seems like the appropriate thing to do.”
Cloud, now one of the Mustangs’ assistant coaches, was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2004 and 2005 NAIA Division II National Tournaments. She made a school-record 317 3-point field goals during her Morningside career and also ranks among the Mustangs’ all-time leaders with 466 career assists and 352 career steals. She is the 12th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 606 career rebounds. Cloud averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.6 steals per game during her Morningside career.
She was last year’s NAIA Division II National Player of the Year after she led the Mustangs in scoring and rebounding with averages of 19.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, plus topped the team with 125 steals for an average of 3.3 per game. She was the Mustangs’ leading scorer in 25 of their 38 games, including all five of their national tournament contests. Her greatest game may have come in the 2004 NAIA Division II National Championship Game when she scored 34 points behind an eight-for-11 shooting performance from beyond the 3-point arc to lead the Mustangs to an 87-74 triumph against Cedarville University.
Carper is Morningside’s all-time career record holder with 734 assists, 359 steals, and 542 made free throws and is the ninth leading rebounder in Morningside history with 719 career caroms. She averaged 16.3 points, 5.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game over her Morningside career.
Carper was named the 2004 NAIA Division II National Player of the Year when she was the NAIA Division II national leader in assists with an average of 7.2 per game and ranked fifth nationally in scoring and third in steals with norms of 21.5 points and 4.0 steals per game. She was the Mustangs’ second leading rebounder with an average of 5.8 rebounds per game. That year she set Morningside single-season records with 818 points, 272 assists, 151 steals, and 407 made free throws and broke the school’s single-game records with 45 points and 13 assists in separate games against Northwestern College.
Morningside College is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 2005-06 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Pre-Season Poll released Wednesday, Oct. 26.
The Mustangs are two-time defending NAIA Division II National Champions after they defeated Cedarville University in both the 2004 and 2005 national championship games. Morningside has a 69-7 record over the past two seasons.
Morningside received nine first place votes from the panel of 17 raters, with Cedarville getting the other eight first place votes.
The Mustangs graduated two starters, Brittany Carper and Megan Cloud, the 2004 and 2005 NAIA Division II National Players of the Year, from last year’s team that finished 35-3 to set a school record for victories in a season.
Morningside will open the 2005-06 season at the Saint Ambrose University Jim Fox Invitational on Nov. 4 and 5 at Davenport, Iowa.
Click here for the complete NAIA Division II Pre-Season Poll.
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