Turnovers plague Tiger women in loss to No. 13 Mt. Mercy

Mt. Mercy University turned 28 Iowa Wesleyan College turnovers into 33 points en route to an 83-74 victory in Midwest Collegiate Conference women?s basketball play Wednesday night at Ruble Arena.

IWC fell to 16-10 overall and 12-5 in the MCC and, with one regular season game remaining, clinched third place in the conference. The Mustangs, ranked No. 13 in the latest NAIA Division II Top 25 Coaches? poll, improved to 22-7 on the year and 14-3 in MCC play, clinching sole possession of second place.

Wesleyan got down by as many as 10 in the first half but used a 14-6 run in the last 4:24 to go into halftime trailing 35-33. The Tigers made four 3-pointers in the first half and needed all 12 of Anna Jones? first half points to stay in the game.

Despite 14 second-half turnovers, the Tigers trailed only 72-68 with 2:03 left to play, but they would get no closer. A 3-pointer by Jones got Wesleyan within seven with 52 seconds left, but Mt. Mercy would not miss a free throw on their way to the nine-point victory.

Jones recorded her 14th 20-point game of the season and led all scorers with 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting. She also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Adilene Villalobos added 16 points off the bench and Ashley Kruse finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers out-rebounded the Mustangs 36-26 and shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46).

Mt. Mercy shot 44.8 percent (30-for-67) but committed just 11 turnovers. The Mustangs were led by Bria Fields with 23 points in 16 minutes. Laura Lippert added 16 points and Emily Greiner finished with 13. Mt. Mercy made all 18 of its free throw attempts and had 23 assists on 30 made baskets.

The Tigers return to action Saturday for their regular season finale and Senior Day when they host St. Ambrose University. Game time is set for 1 p.m.