Women's Basketball Holds off Baker For Road Win

Baldwin City, Kan.., (Nov. 21, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College basketball teams traveled to Baldwin City, Kan., Tuesday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Baker (Kan.).  The women's team jumped out to an early lead, and held off the Wildcats for a 63-57 win.

Missouri Valley moved out to an early lead at the start of the women's game as Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) made a field goal and Junior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.) added a three-pointer to give the team a 5-0 advantage with three minutes played.  Baker cut the deficit down to 5-4, while Freshman Ricarda Schott (Krefeld, Germany) scored the next eight points for the Vikings to keep the team in front, 13-6, with just over two minutes to play in the quarter.  Junior Noa Fernandez (Castraneda, Spain) added two late baskets for MVC as the quarter came to an end at a 17-8 score.

The second quarter opened with a run from BU, outscoring Missouri Valley by a 9-0 margin over a more than two minute stretch to tie the teams at 17-17.  Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) ended the drought for MVC with a layup moments later, then sank a pair of free throws to move the team back on top, 21-17 at the seven-minute mark.  The Wildcats tied the score again, at 21-21, just over one minute later, but the tie was broken on a three-pointer from Callahan to make it a 24-21 score midway through the quarter.  Baker cut the deficit to 24-23, then was kept scoreless over a nearly four minute stretch of play.  However, BU responded late in the quarter to tie the contest once again, 27-27 in the final minute before the break.  Callahan added a three-pointer for the final points of the half, and Missouri Valley went into halftime in front, 30-27.

Play resumed after the break with an early steal and layup from Schott to push the lead out to 32-27.  The Vikings went scoreless over the next three minutes of play, as Baker sat in a 32-30 deficit.  Callahan ended the drought with a three-pointer, and Sullivan sank a pair of free throws to push the advantage out to 37-32 with more than four minutes played.  The two teams traded points over the next two minutes, while a three-pointer from Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.), followed by a free throw from Jocelynn Thompason put the lead at 43-36 near the three-minute mark.  Bostick added another basket moments later, and Baker made a pair of late free throws to cap scoring in the quarter at 45-38.

Baker chipped away at the gap through the opening four minutes of play in the fourth quarter, trailing by a 47-46 score.  Fernandez responded with a three-point play, while Schott added a pair of free throws to put the lead at 52-47 midway through the final quarter of play.  Moore increased the advantage to 54-47 on a steal and layup, while Schott made a jumper to put the score at 56-47 with less than four minutes remaining.  Callahan scored the next four points for MVC, and the lead sat at double-digits for the first time, 60-49, with just over two minutes left on the clock.  Moore added three late free throws, and Baker tried to rally late, but the Vikings held on for a 63-57 win.

Schott recorded her second-straight double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Callahan added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Moore scored 10 points.  Baker was limited for 30-percent shooting from the floor, and MVC blocked seven shots.  Missouri Valley also held a 49-32 advantage in rebounds.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 5-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Heart.  Baker drops to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a Heart doubleheader at Mount Mercy (Iowa), Nov. 29.  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

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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.