Women's Basketball Falls at Home to No. 4 Clarke

Marshall, Mo., (Jan. 6, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams hosted Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The women's team fell to the No. 4 Pride, 77-62.  The men's team pulled away in the second half for a 78-62 victory.

Missouri Valley got out in front early in the women's game, as Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) made the first basket of the contest, followed by a field goal from Junior Maddie Ferrara (Hendersonville, Tenn.) to put the team on top, 4-1 with two minutes played.  Ferrara then sank a three-pointer to put the lead at 7-5 just over one minute later.  Clarke followed with a long run, outscoring the Vikings by a 19-0 margin through the rest of the quarter to make it a 24-7 score. 

The run carried over into the second quarter of play, as the Pride built up a 29-7 advantage with nearly three minutes off the clock.  The first points of the quarter came on a pair of free throws from Sophomore Tyler Conkright (Ellington, Mo.), who then sank a three-point shot to pull the team into a 31-12 gap just past the six-minute mark.  Sophomore Mackenzie Mann (Oak Grove, Mo.) scored four points, along with a field goal from Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) over the next stretch of play to make it a 39-18 score with three minutes left in the half.  Conkright added a pair of baskets, and Sophomore Maise Harrhy (Barry, Wales) made a three-point shot to pull the team into a 39-25 deficit late in the quarter.  Clarke added a pair of free throws before time expired, and carried a 41-25 advantage into the break.

Scoring after halftime featured a basket from Conkright and five points from Ferrara to pull the team into a 47-32 score with nearly four minutes played after the restart.  Missouri Valley continued to work back, and trailed 47-36 midway through the quarter after one field goal from both Freshman Jocelynn Thompson (Austin, Texas) and Ferrara.  The Pride extended their lead from there, using a 12-0 run to build up a 59-36 advantage with one minute to play in the third quarter.  Moore sank a three-pointer, and Bostick added a late layup, but MVC trailed, 61-41, going in to the fourth quarter.  The fourth quarter featured the two teams trading points through much of play.  Freshman Kyrstin Wolff (Valrico, Fla.) scored seven points late in the game, as Missouri Valley fell by a final of 77-62.

Conkright led with 16 points to go with four rebounds.  Ferrara added a career-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Bostick had six points and nine rebounds.  Missouri Valley finished with a 19-10 turnover-to-assist ratio, and totaled 12 offensive rebounds.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 9-5 overall and 7-3 in the Heart.  Clarke improves to 14-0 on the season and 10-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams travel to Canton, Mo., Wednesday evening, for a Heart doubleheader with Culver-Stockton (Mo.).  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 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.