Women's Basketball Falls at MidAmerica Nazarene

Olathe, Kan., (Jan. 15, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Olathe, Kan., Monday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).  The women's team fell by a final score of 75-58.

The two teams traded points at the start of the women's game, as a three-pointer from Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) plus a pair of field goals from Freshman Jocelynn Thompson (Austin, Texas) and Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) made it a 7-7 score with three minutes played.  Sullivan added another basket nearly two minutes later to put Missouri Valley in front for the first time, at 9-8.  MidAmerica Nazarene responded with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes of play to go on top, 18-9.  Sullivan ended the MVC drought with a field goal near the three-minute mark, while a three-pointer from Moore put the deficit at 20-14.  Freshman Kyrstin Wolff (Valrico, Fla.) added two made free throws in the final minute of the quarter, as the Vikings trailed, 25-16.  

Wolff put in the first field goal of the second quarter for Missouri Valley, cutting the gap to 27-18 with two minutes played.  The Pioneers responded by pushing their advantage to double-digits, at 30-18 through the midway point of the quarter.  A pair of free throws from Junior Kiara Williams (Shawnee, Kan.) and a three-point basket from Sophomore Tyler Conkright (Ellington, Mo.) trimmed the deficit to 30-23.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, which included a three-point basket from Wolff, and a three-point play from Moore to make it a 35-31 score with just over one minute to play in the half.  MidAmerica Nazarene added to its lead over the final stretch of play, going into halftime in front, 39-31.

Scoring the third quarter started with just over one minute played on a field goal from Junior Noa Fernandez (Castraneda, Spain), while a pair of Sullivan free throws brought the Vikings into a 39-35 deficit at the eight-minute mark.  The Vikings added points from the free throw line over the next several minutes, but the next field goal of the quarter came with just over three minutes remaining, as a basket from Moore put the MNU lead at 50-42.  Two made free throws from Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) and a field goal from Sophomore Raegan Brown (Mokane, Mo.) kept the Vikings to within a 54-46 score in the final minute of the third quarter.  Bostick added a three-pointer in the closing moments, but MVC continued to trail, 57-49.

The gap was trimmed to 57-51 at the start of the fourth quarter after another Bostick basket.  MidAmerica Nazarene then went on a 15-1 run over a long stretch of play in the quarter to eventually make it a 72-52 score near the three-minute mark.  Missouri Valley was unable to work back into the game, and fell by a final score of 75-58.

Moore led with 15 points and six assists, while Sullivan totaled 11 points and seven rebounds.  Wolff came off the bench to add eight points and 10 rebounds.  Missouri Valley held the Pioneers to 35-percent shooting from the floor, and edged MNU in rebounds by a 39-37 margin.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 9-7 overall and 7-5 in the Heart.  MidAmerica Nazarene improves to 7-9 on the season and 6-6 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will host Baker (Kan.) in a Heart doubleheader, Wednesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.  The women's team earned a 63-57 win in Baldwin City, Kan., back on Nov. 21.

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.