Women's Basketball Tops Central Methodist in Road Shootout

Fayette, Mo., (Jan. 3, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams played for the first time in the new year on the road in Fayette, Mo., in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Central Methodist (Mo.), Wednesday evening.  Women's basketball held on to defeat the Eagles in a shootout, 95-93.

The women's game opened with one early basket each from Sophomore Mackenzie Mann (Oak Grove, Mo.) and Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) to put Missouri Valley in front, 4-0, with one minute played.  Mann followed with a field goal, while Moore sank a three-pointer over the next minute to keep MVC on top, 9-5.  Central Methodist responded with a 10-3 run over the next two minutes of play to pull ahead, 15-12.  Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) ended the drought with a field goal one minute later, and Sophomore Tyler Conkright (Ellington, Mo.) put the Vikings in front once again, 16-15 just past the four-minute mark.  The two teams traded points over the final stretch of play in the quarter.  Bostick put in a field goal in the closing moments to tie the score, but CMU added a pair of free throws to hold a 24-22 lead going into the second quarter of play.

Missouri Valley went scoreless through nearly a two minute stretch to start the second quarter, with a pair of Moore field goals pulling the team into a 28-26 deficit.  Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) added four points, while Freshman Kyrstin Wolff (Valrico, Fla.) sank a three-pointer midway through the quarter to pull MVC into a 33-32 advantage.  The two teams traded points over the next three minutes of play, which featured a three-point play from Sullivan, five points from Conkright and a basket by Moore to keep the Vikings on top, 43-41.  After the Eagles briefly went ahead, Moore finished off a three-point play to put Missouri Valley on ahead, 46-45, with less than one minute remaining.  Moore capped scoring in the half with a last-second three-point field goal, and MVC held a 49-47 lead at the break.

Play in the third quarter opened with both teams struggling to put in points at the start.  Sullivan scored first, on a three-point field goal with over one minute played, while Central Methodist was kept scoreless through more than two minutes.  The Eagles eventually closed the deficit to 52-51, but a Wolff three-point shot made it a 55-51 score at the seven-minute mark.  Another three-point field goal, this time from Conkright put the advantage at 58-53 one minute later.  Central Methodist scored the next five points to tie the contest at 58-58, and MVC was kept scoreless through a two-minute stretch.  Freshman Jocelynn Thompson (Austin, Texas) broke the tie with one free throw, and Conkright added a field goal to put the lead at 61-58 with less than four minutes on the clock.  The Eagles worked back and outscored Missouri Valley by a 6-2 margin to pull ahead, 64-63, with less than one minute to play in the quarter.  After a Bostick free throw tied the teams, a late three-pointer from Conkright allowed MVC to hold a 67-66 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

Central Methodist reclaimed the lead early in the final quarter, while a Sullivan three-point basket and a field goal from Moore put Missouri Valley in front, 72-68, with less than two minutes played.  The two teams traded points over the next several minutes, with a Bostick three-pointer extending the advantage to 77-73 past the midway point of the fourth quarter.  Bostick and Thompson both made a pair of free throws, with a basket from Moore making it an 83-77 score at the two-minute mark.  The two teams worked back-and-forth in the final two minutes of play.  The Vikings finished 12 for 12 from the free throw line, including six made free throws from Moore and another four free throws from Conkright.  The made free throws held off a late rally from Central Methodist as Missouri Valley finished out a 95-93 victory.

Moore led with 31 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.  She has topped 30 points in three of the past five games played.  Sullivan tied a season-high with 20 points along with five rebounds, while Conkright totaled a season-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds.  Bostick had 10 points and five rebounds.  The Vikings shot over 51-percent in the game, and finished 20 of 24 in free throws.

Missouri Valley improves to 9-4 overall and 7-2 in the Heart.  Central Methodist drops to 7-6 on the season and 4-5 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams host Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader, Saturday, inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Women's game at 12 p.m., followed by the men's game at 2 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here 

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.