Women's Basketball Tops Culver-Stockton on Senior Day

Marshall, Mo., (Feb. 22, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams welcomed in Culver-Stockton (Mo.) inside the Burns Athletic Complex for a Senior Day Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader, Saturday afternoon.  The Viking women's team finished out an 85-78 win, while the men's team earned an 85-75 win to close the regular season

The two teams traded points at the start of the women's game, as Freshman D'Ajha Horton (Aurora, Colo.) and Senior Ylenia Exposito (Tenerife, Canary Islands) each sank three-point shots to keep it a 6-6 score with nearly three minutes played.  Expsoito added another three-pointer, then came up with a steal that led to a pair of Horton made free throws to put Missouri Valley ahead, 11-6, less than one minute later.  The Vikings held on to their advantage through the next stretch of play, which featured a layup from Senior Noa Fernandez (Castaneda, Spain), a three-pointer from Exposito, and a Horton layup to make it an 18-13 score near the four-minute mark.  After a pair of free throws from Junior Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) set the lead at 20-15, Culver-Stockton responded with a run.  The Wildcats outscored MVC by a 9-0 margin and eventually moved ahead, 22-20, with less than three minutes to play in the quarter.  The deficit was short-lived for Missouri Valley, as Senior Giavanna Moore (Independence, Mo.) sent the team back in front on a three-pointer, and Horton added another three-point shot in the closing minute of the quarter to stretch the lead to 26-22.  The final points of the first quarter came on a pair of CSC free throws, and the Vikings held a 26-24 lead.

Play in the second quarter began with the Wildcats gradually overcoming MVC and going on top, 30-29, with just over one minute played.  A steal by Junior Maleigha Landers (Fort Worth, Texas) led to a Moore jumper to push Missouri Valley in front once again, 31-30, with two minutes off the clock.  Culver-Stockton was held scoreless over the next two minutes, but the only points for MVC during the stretch was a Landers three-pointer to make it a 34-30 contest as the quarter went under the six-minute mark.  Moore made another three-point attempt midway through the quarter, while Horton added four points to help the team hold a 43-36 lead with two minutes remaining before the break.  Sophomore Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) made one more three-point shot in the closing moments of the half, while a last-second three-pointer from Culver-Stockton closed the Viking advantage to 46-39 at halftime.

Scoring in the third quarter opened with a pair of made layups from Horton, to stretch the advantage to double-digits, 50-39, with two minutes played.  The Wildcats were held scoreless through two minutes of play after the restart, then chipped their deficit down to 54-46 near the six-minute mark.  Missouri Valley went scoreless for a more than two-minute span in the quarter, until a Senior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.) three-point play put the team back on top by double-digits, 57-46.  Moore added a three-point shot, and Fernandez tacked on a pair of free throws to send MVC into the fourth quarter on top, 62-50.

Missouri Valley went nearly four minutes of play to begin the fourth quarter without a field goal, as CSC worked back to a 64-58 deficit during the stretch.  Horton ended the drought with a basket, then added a three-pointer to make it a 69-60 score with less than six minutes to play in the game.  Fernandez followed with a layup, and a three-point shot by Exposito put the lead at 74-60, past the midway mark of the quarter.  Culver-Stockton tried to work back into the game, and trailed, 76-70, with less than two minutes to play.  However, Sullivan came back with a three-point play on the next Viking possession, then added another layup as to make it 81-72 in the final minute of the contest.  A pair of late free throws made by Fernandez and Exposito closed out the game, and Missouri Valley earned an 85-78 win.

Horton led with a season-high 25 points to go with nine rebounds.  Exposito had 17 points and six rebounds, while Moore added 16 points.  Fernandez led with 10 rebounds, and added nine points.  Missouri Valley held a 39-33 advantage in rebounds, blocked seven shots and made a season-high 13 three-point shots.

The win gives Missouri Valley a 22-6 overall record, and 18-6 record in the Heart to close the regular season.  Culver-Stockton ends its season at 13-15 overall and 10-14 in the conference.

Up next the Viking women's basketball team will host a quarterfinal game in the Heart Postseason Tournament for the first time in 30 years.  The game will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex, against Mount Mercy (Iowa).  The Mustangs swept the Vikings during the regular season, 75-66 at home on Dec. 7, and 84-64 on the road on Jan. 25.

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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.