Mustangs respond against Grand View
The Mount Mercy Mustangs did a little soul-searching during halftime against Grand View Monday night.
The Mustangs, coming off a 30-point loss at Graceland, played poorly during the first half against Grand View Monday with numerous lapses on defense and little intensity.
"We just had to toughen up," said junior Dennis McKinney. "Davion Watson, one of our seniors, talked to us and we finished it by saying, 'If we want to play in March, we can't play like we did in the first half tonight.'"
Mount Mercy, determined to play better, owned the second half and collected an 80-65 victory over the Vikings in a Heart of America Conference game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.
The Mustangs went on a 17-0 run early in the second half for a 59-50 lead, with stiffer defense fueling the attack, and it ultimately turned into a 34-6 surge for a 20-point advantage at 76-56 with 5:34 left in the game.
Mount Mercy completely dominated Grand View during that 13-minute stretch with some of its best basketball of the season.
Coach Aaron Jennings said they talked about defense at halftime. "Grand View was carving us up in the first half," he said. "Just open shot after open shot after open shot."
It was all about effort, said Jennings.
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