Women's Basketball Knocks Off William Penn on the Road

Oskaloosa, Iowa, (Feb. 3, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Oskaloosa, Iowa, Saturday afternoon, for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader.  The women's team pulled away for a 72-57 win, and the men's team overcame a halftime deficit to earn an 83-79 victory to complete the sweep.

The women's game started with William Penn moving in front early, by a 5-0 score.  Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) answered with a three-pointer, and Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) added a pair of free throws to tie the teams at 5-5 with three minutes played.  Sullivan ended the 8-0 run for MVC with a three-pointer near the six-minute mark to move the team in front, 8-5.  Another Sullivan basket, followed by a Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) field goal pushed the lead out to 12-7 past the midway point of the quarter.  Missouri Valley continued to build on its advantage, and eventually scored the next 10 points.  Junior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.) added a jump shot, while Moore finished off a three-point play, followed by another three made free throws.  Sullivan capped the 12-0 run with a layup, while Bostick tacked on a late three-pointer to give the team a 25-9 lead going into the second quarter.

Senior Blanca Alcalde (Salamanca, Spain) opened the second quarter with two-straight field goals, and MVC held a 29-9 advantage.  Callahan and Moore each put in a layup to make it a 33-12 score with just over three minutes played.  William Penn cut into its deficit with six-straight points, but Moore responded with layup, off a Sullivan steal, and Junior Noa Fernandez (Castaneda, Spain) made a pair of free throws to put the score at 37-18 near the three-minute mark.  The Vikings could not add to their lead in the final minutes of the half, but WPU closed the gap to 37-23 at halftime.

The two teams traded points at the start of the third quarter, as Sullivan scored three points to help put the lead at 40-25 with just over two minutes off the clock.  Missouri Valley continued to hold on to its advantage, as Moore, Bostick and Callahan each added one field goal through the midway point of the quarter to stay in front, 46-30.  The advantage continued to grow over the next two minutes, as Sullivan sank a three-pointer and Moore made a jump shot.  William Penn worked back to a 52-37 deficit in the final moments of the third quarter, but a pair of Moore free throws finished out the third, with the score at 54-37.

An early three-pointer from Alcalde stretched the lead out to 57-37, and Missouri Valley continued to maintain a sizeable lead, with a pair of three-pointers from Moore and a basket from Junior Maddie Ferrara (Hendersonville, Tenn.) moving the score to 65-44 near the six-minute mark.  The Vikings held off any rally attempt from William Penn in the late stages of the game, and finished out a 72-55 win.

Moore led with 27 points to go with five rebounds.  Sullivan added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Fernandez totaled 12 rebounds, four assists and two points.  Missouri Valley limited William Penn to 34-percent shooting, and held a 42-25 edge in rebounding.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 10-12 overall and 8-10 in the Heart.  William Penn drops to 3-20 on the season and 2-17 in the conference.  The Vikings sweep the season series between the two teams, which included a home win back on Dec. 2, 87-63.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams return to the Burns Athletic Complex for a Wednesday doubleheader against Culver-Stockton (Mo.).  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.  The men's team will be trying for the season sweep, after earning a road win, 62-57, back on Jan. 10.

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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.