Women's Basketball Overcomes Halftime Deficit in Win Over Baker

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 22, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams hosted Baker (Kan.) inside the Burns Athletic Complex Saturday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader.  The women's team overcame a halftime deficit for a 70-60 victory, and the men's team pulled away in the second half to win, 95-71.

The women's game began with both teams struggling to score in the early minutes.  The first basket of the contest came with more than two minutes played, as Senior Center Sara Ortiz (La Roda, Spain) came down with an offensive rebound and put in a layup, but the Vikings went a more than five-minute stretch without another field goal.  The drought ended on a three-pointer from Junior Guard Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.), to cut the team's deficit down to 11-6 at the two-minute mark.  Missouri Valley shrunk the gap down as the first quarter came to an end, on a layup from Junior Guard Jessica Reeter (Chillicothe, Mo.) and a late jumper from Bostick to make it a 13-10 score.

Baker added to its lead at the start of the second quarter, outscoring MVC by a 10-2 margin over the opening two minutes to hold a double-digit advantage, 23-12.  Ortiz came down with another offensive rebound, and a put-back layup moments later, but the Vikings eventually trailed, 26-14, midway through the quarter.  Freshman Guard Alice Lepetitgaland (Lyon, France) sank a three-pointer, and Senior Guard Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) had a steal and fast-break layup to put the score at 26-19 with four minutes to play before the break.  The Vikings continued to work back, as Freshman Forward Lilyan Landis (Scott City, Mo.) scored four points, while Sullivan sank a pair of free throws and added a layup over the next three minutes to tighten the deficit.  Both teams failed to add any more points in the final minute of play, and MVC went into halftime trailing, 28-27.

The Wildcats started the third quarter with a quick basket, while Missouri Valley used a jump shot from Bostick and a three-pointer by Reeter to take its first lead of the game, 32-30, with just over one minute played after the restart.  Baker answered, and went on an 8-2 run over the next two minutes to move ahead, 38-34.  The Vikings went nearly three minutes without any points, until a layup from Sophomore Forward Lexi Fenstermacher (O'Fallon, Mo.) and a basket by Freshman Forward Bianca Sarbu (Bucharest, Romania) pulled the team into a 40-38 deficit near the four-minute mark.  Baker made a field goal moments later, but MVC ended the quarter on a run.  Missouri Valley outscored BU by a 10-1 margin over the final three minutes.  Sarbu started the stretch with a three-point play, followed by a three-pointer by Reeter.  Fenstermacher added another layup, followed by a block from Freshman Forward Tara Rivas (San Salvador, El Salvador) which led to a Reeter layup that closed scoring for the team.  The quarter ended with Missouri Valley in front, 48-43. 

Play in the fourth quarter began with an offensive rebound and layup by Fenstermacher to extend the MVC lead to 50-43.  The two teams traded points over the next several minutes as a pair of free throws from Landis, three-pointer by Sarbu and a Bostick layup made it a 59-53 score past the midway point of the quarter.  The Vikings went to the free throw line five times over the final three minutes.  Reeter and Bostick both made three free throw attempts to hold off Baker late, and eventually seal a 70-60 victory.

Reeter finished with 17 points to go with six rebounds and five assists.  Bostick added a season-high 12 points, along with six rebounds.  Fenstermacher recorded her first-career double-double, coming off the bench to score 10 points and grab 10 rebounds.  Sarubu added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.  Missouri Valley held a 47-43 advantage in rebounds, and forced Baker into 15 turnovers while holding the team to 32-percent shooting from the floor.

Missouri Valley improves to 4-3 on the season and 3-0 in the Heart.  Baker falls to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will host Benedictine (Kan.) in a Heart doubleheader, Tuesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Women's game starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.