Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cross powers Ashford by Mustangs

Brittany Cross scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Saturday as Ashford defeated Mount Mercy, 63-52, in an NAIA women's basketball game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Sarah Vozel also had a double-double for Ashford (5-4) with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Abby Herb scored 17 points for Mount Mercy (6-7). Callan Timms had 10 points.

ASHFORD (63): Brantner 1 0-0 3, Rear 1 0-0 2, Vozel 4 6-6 14, Cross 9 7-8 27, Wagner 4 1-3 11, Drain 1 0-0 2, Rodriguez 1 2-2 4. Totals 21 16-19 63.

MOUNT MERCY (52): Herb 7 2-2 17, Herdliska 1 0-0 3, Oldham 2 5-6 9, Thompson 1 0-0 2, Zeitler 1 0-0 3, Weiland 0 0-0 0, Timms 3 4-4 10, Kilburg 0 0-0 0, Sexton 2 0-0 5, Last 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 11-12 52.

Halftime - Ashford 31, Mount Mercy 17. 3-point goals - Ashford 5 (Cross 2, Wagner 2, Brantner 1), Mount Mercy 5 (Herb 1, Herdliska 1, Zeitler 1, Sexton 1, Last 1).

Mount Mercy upsets Culver-Stockton

DAVENPORT – Four players scored in double figures as the Mount Mercy men’s basketball team upset 25th-ranked Culver-Stockton 79-65 in the opening game of the St. Ambrose Shootout on Friday at Lee Lohman Arena.

Dondre Osborne had 15 points to lead the Mustangs (10-3). Ben Struss had 13 points, Ian Matos had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Alex Houston had 10 points and three blocks.

Mount Mercy led 33-29 at halftime and pulled away with an 8-0 run to open the second half.

Travon Mitchell had 15 points as the Wildcats (6-4) turned the ball over a season-high 23 times.

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Mustangs blow big lead, recover for win

The Mount Mercy women's basketball team saw a 15-point halftime lead evaporate in the second half, but strung together a 10-0 run late in the game and went on to post a 67-55 win over Culver-Stockton on Wednesday night at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

The Mustangs (6-6) led 36-21 at the break but the visitors mounted a charge, tying the game at 49 on a 3-pointer from Terra Helm with 8:25 remaining. Mount Mercy regained control behind Abby Herb, who finished with a game-high 24 points, and Danielle Herdliska, who added 12. Callan Timms finished with 10 points. Herb had 9 rebounds for Mount Mercy.

Jasmine Mathews led Culver-Stockton (7-3) with 13 points. TJ Hart added 12.

CULVER-STOCKTON (55): Mathews 5 0-0 13, H. Thompson 0 2-2 2, Marzette 1 0-0 2, Helm 3 0-0 8, Plunkett 0 1-2 1, Hart 3 6-7 12, Robertson 0 0-0 0, Zumalt 0 0-0 0, House 1 3-5 5, Davis 3 0-0 6, Stanley 0 0-0 0, Young 0 0-0 0, Kubinski 3 0-0 9. Totals: 19 26-34 67.

MOUNT MERCY (67): Herb 9 6-7 24, Herdliska 4 2-2 12, Oldham 1 5-6 7, L. Thompson 0 1-2 1, Weiland 0 1-2 1, Timms 2 6-8 10, Last 1 0-1 3, Zeitler 1 5-6 7, Dolan 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 12-15 45.

Halftime: Mount Mercy 36, Culver-Stockton 21. 3-point goals: Culver-Stockton 5 (Mathews 3, Helm 2). Mount Mercy 3 (Herdliska 2, Last 1).

Mustangs turn up defense on Coe

The Mount Mercy Mustangs were picked to finish sixth in their final season in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

Coach Paul Gavin admitted his men's basketball team has been playing with a chip on its shoulder and that chip fell squarely on visiting Coe on Saturday afternoon at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Mount Mercy's pesky defense forced 21 turnovers, 12 in the first half. The Kohawks could never get into a consistent offensive flow as the Mustangs raced to a convincing 81-65 victory.

"Our kids have worked awfully hard this year," Gavin said after his team moved to 9-3 with the win. "It was a tough year last year, both personally and privately and they've worked really hard to change the culture here.

"It's been a lot of fun to be with these guys each and every day."

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