Women's Basketball Defeats Graceland on the Road

Lamoni, Iowa, (Nov. 16, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Lamoni, Iowa for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Graceland (Iowa), Saturday afternoon.  The Viking women's team pulled away for a 66-46 win.

Scoring in the women's game started moments after the tip-off, as Senior Ylenia Exposito (Tenerife, Canary Islands) sank a three-pointer.  Missouri Valley opened the game with a 9-2 run through four minutes of play, which included five points from Senior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.).  The teams traded made free throws over the next stretch of play, and Sophomore Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) added jumper to put the advantage at 12-7 with two minutes to play in the first quarter.  Exposito and Freshman Mackenzie Mills (Kansas City, Mo.) followed with one layup apiece, while Junior Sara Ortiz (La Roda, Spain) capped scoring in the quarter with four late points, and helped MVC hold a 20-11 lead going into the second quarter.

Both teams struggled to score points early in the second quarter, as a three-pointer from Exposito was the only made basket through four minutes of play.  Graceland was held to just one field goal through the four-minute mark, while Junior Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) and Senior Noa Fernandez (Castraneda, Spain) each made field goals to make it a 27-13 score.  The Yellowjackets held MVC scoreless through the final four minutes of the quarter, and cut the deficit down to 27-21 going into halftime.

The third quarter began with five early points scored by Callahan to put the Vikings back in front by double-digits, 32-21.  Graceland shrunk the gap down to 32-25 with just over two minutes played in the quarter, but Exposito and Sullivan followed with a pair of made jump shots to quickly make it a 36-25 score.  The Vikings took control of the game from there, finishing out the quarter on a 12-0 run.  Fernandez started the stretch with a layup, and Sophomore Ricarda Schott (Krefeld, Germany) sank a three-point shot.  Callahan added a jumper, while Exposito chipped in with one made free throw.  Freshman D'Ajha Horton (Aurora, Colo.) capped the run with four points, and the lead sat at 48-27.

Missouri Valley maintained its lead throughout the entire fourth quarter, keeping the advantage at double-digits throughout.  Sullivan scored six-straight points for the Vikings, to put the team in front, 57-40, just past the four-minute mark.  Ortiz added a three-point play, and Callahan came through with a layup to stretch the lead out to 64-43 less than two minutes later.  Exposito scored the final points of the game for MVC, and secured a 66-46 victory.

Exposito led with 15 points, and added six rebounds.  Callahan totaled 14 points, while Sullivan had 11 points and five rebounds.  Ortiz finished with 11 points and five assists.  Missouri Valley held Graceland to 23-percent shooting from the field, and forced 18 turnovers.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Heart.  Graceland falls to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will play their first home conference games of the season, hosting William Penn (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader, Wednesday, inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The women's game starts 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.