By Jacob Knabel, Concordia (Neb.) Sports Information Director

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score - Bracket) Two games into the 2016 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships presented by Mercy Medical Center and Seaboard Triumph Foods and defending champion and top-ranked Morningside (Iowa) looks as powerful as ever. The Mustangs used a career best 30 points from sophomore guard Madison Braun on the way to an 84-65 win over Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) in Friday’s second-round action at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Head coach Jamie Sale’s squad (33-2 overall), Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, is headed to the quarterfinals for the fourth-straight year and is seeking its fifth national title. A national championships regular out of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Wolves are eliminated with an overall mark of 25-8.

Braun got core-of-the-sun hot with makes on six of her seven 3-point attempts. Trey No. 6 for Braun stuck on the rim before going down as part of a 16-2 Mustang run. The outburst turned a 42-38 game into a 58-40 Morningside lead with under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. From that point on, Cardinal Stritch fought an uphill battle and its 34.9 shooting percentage and 21 turnovers prevented it from keeping up with the Mustang locomotive.

Braun never had more than 14 points during the 2015 national championship run. On Friday she knocked down 11-of-13 shots overall. She take full advantage of the attention star post Jessica Tietz (eight points, seven rebounds) draws inside. Junior Lexi Ackerman filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Jordyn Wollenburg contributed 14 points and four boards.

Though the final score did not reflect it, Cardinal Stritch made Morningside earn it. A program built upon defense (54.6 points allowed per game), the Wolves made their third-quarter push by limiting the Mustangs to just three points over the first four-and-a-half minutes of the second half. That is until Braun got loose with eight points in the closing stretch of the third frame.

Head coach John Pflaffl’s squad got 13 points apiece from Emily Neitzel and Mika Passini. However, Neitzel went just 3-for-13 from the field and Cardinal Stritch managed only five makes on 17 tries from 3-point range.

Morningside continues its bid for back-to-back national titles on Saturday when it goes up against third-seeded Marian (Ind.) at 3 p.m. CT. The Knights booked their date with the Mustangs by defeating No. 6 Milligan (Tenn.) and No. 7 Oregon Tech at the 2016 tournament.