Women's Basketball Falls to MidAmerica Nazarene in Heart Quarterfinals

Olathe, Kan., (Feb. 28, 2024)- The No. 6 seed Missouri Valley College women's basketball team traveled to Olathe, Kan., to play No. 3 seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the quarterfinal round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament, Presented by WinWon Technologies, Wednesday evening.  The Vikings led at halftime, but fell by a final score of 83-78.

Missouri Valley got out in front early, as one field goal each from Junior Noa Fernandez (Castaneda, Spain), Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) and Senior Blanca Alcalde (Salamanca, Spain) put the team on top, 6-2, with less than two minutes off the clock.  The Vikings added to their lead over the next two minutes, helped by a steal from Junior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.) that led to a basket from Fernandez, a field goal from Sullivan, along with a steal and made shot from Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) to make it a 12-5 score.  The Pioneers chipped away at their deficit over the next two minutes of play, sitting in a 14-11 deficit past the midway point of the quarter.  Moore answered with a three-pointer, but MNU came back with a run.  MidAmerica Nazarene scored eight-straight points to pull ahead, 19-17, near the two-minute mark.  Moore ended the drought with a field goal moments later, but the Pioneers went into the second quarter with a 22-19 advantage.

Scoring started in the second quarter on a Junior Kiara Williams (Shawnee, Kan.) basket followed by five points from MNU to put the Viking deficit at 27-21 with three minutes off the clock.  The next basket came from Sullivan near the six-minute mark, but MVC eventually sat in a 34-25 deficit midway through the quarter.  Moore responded with a field goal, then Sullivan made a three-pointer.  Junior Maddie Ferrara (Hendersonville, Tenn.) put in back-to-back three-point shots, and Moore closed a 13-4 run with a basket to tie the teams at 38-38 with two minutes to play before the break.  The two teams traded points through the rest of the quarter, with a last-second three-pointer from Senior Maria Rubio (Madrid, Spain) putting Missouri Valley on top going into halftime, 44-42.

The second half began with MidAmerica Nazarene held scoreless through more than two minutes of play.  The Vikings forced three turnovers during the stretch, and used one field goal each from Fernandez, Ferrara and Moore to push the lead out to 50-42.  A three-pointer from Callahan and a basket from Fernandez put the advantage at double-digits, 55-45 with less than six minutes to play in the quarter.  Rubio ended a more than two-minute stretch without any points for MVC on a made shot to put the score at 57-47 at the three-minute mark.  The Pioneers came back with a run, and wiped out their deficit scoring 11-straight points to move ahead, 58-57, as the third quarter came to an end.

MidAmerica Nazarene put in the first basket of the fourth quarter, while one field goal from both Alcalde and Moore briefly sent the Vikings on top, 61-60, with just over one minute played.  The Pioneers regained the lead, while another Alcalde basket brought MVC into a 64-63 deficit with less than seven minutes to play in the contest.  The deficit grew to 68-63 less than one minute later, then sat at 70-65 at the midway point of the quarter.  Sullivan answered with a three-pointer to make it a 70-68 score, but MNU continued to stay on top, at 75-68, with less than three minutes on the clock.  The Vikings made a late push, helped by a field goal from Callahan and a three-point play from Fernandez to trim the gap down to 75-73 near the final minute.  A late basket from Moore and a three-pointer from Callahan made it an 81-78 game in the closing seconds, but MidAmerica Nazarene closed out the contest with a pair of free throws to defeat Missouri Valley, 83-78.

Moore led with her third double-double of the season, consisting of 20 points and 10 rebounds, to go with six assists.  She finished the season scoring 20 or more points in 12 games.  Fernandez totaled 13 points and seven rebounds, while Sullivan added 12 points.  Callahan finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.  Missouri Valley shot over 52-percent in the game, and held a 35-29 advantage in rebounding.

Missouri Valley falls to 13-16 to end the season, while MidAmerica Nazarene advances to the semifinals with a 19-10 record.

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.