Ravens down Mustangs in Heart quarterfinals

ATCHISON, Kan. -- A slow start to each half was too much for fifth-seeded Mount Mercy to overcome as fourth-seeded Benedictine stayed alive in the postseason with a 75-59 defeat of the Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the Heart of America Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday night at Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

The Mustangs (17-11) trailed, 20-8, at the end of the first quarter before rallying to within seven by halftime. The Ravens (19-10) outscored Mount Mercy by 11 in the third quarter for an 18-point cushion and cruised from there.

Annika Headington was one of three Mustangs in double figures, pouring in a game-high 24 points. She also finished with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Malie Marfil chipped in 11 points and six boards and Madison Dreckman finished with a double-double that included 10 points and 10 rebounds. She and Madison Skelton also tallied four assists.

Aaliyah Raines had 19 points and five rebounds for the Ravens. Alleigh Kramer had 16 points, five boards, and four assists. Kennedy Nicholson recorded 12 points, Jennifer Jacobs pulled down eight rebounds.

The top four seeds in the tournament all advanced on Wednesday. Top-seeded Clarke defeated eighth-seeded Central Methodist, 80-67, second-seeded Grand View edged seventh-seeded Peru State, 86-77, and third-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene rallied from a halftime deficit to beat sixth-seeded Missouri Valley, 83-78.

Benedictine (19-10) goes to fifth-ranked Clarke (28-1) while 20th-ranked Grand View (25-4) hosts MidAmerica Nazarene (19-10) in Saturday's semifinal round. The winners square off in the Heart of America finals on Tuesday.