Men's Basketball Suffers Road Loss at MidAmerica Nazarene

Olathe, Kan., (Jan. 15, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Olathe, Kan., Monday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).  The women's team fell by a final score of 75-58, and the men's team lost by a 97-70 score.

Scoring in the men's game started on a field goal from Junior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) to put Missouri Valley in front early in the contest.  MidAmerica Nazarene answered with eight-straight points to go on top, 8-2, with nearly four minutes played.  Burnett added the next field goal for MVC, but the Pioneers eventually built up a double-digit advantage, at 14-4 near the 13-minute mark.  Junior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) ended the drought with a basket to put the score at 14-6.  Another run put together by MNU, this time by a 15-2 margin,  andextended the Viking deficit to 29-8 with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.  Lance added another field goal, followed by a three-pointer from Junior Logan Walker (Lebam, Wash.).  Lance then made a pair of free throws and Senior Vincent Taylor (Dallas, Texas) sank a three-point shot to make it a 37-18 score with just under six minutes to play before the break.  Junior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) made a pair of field goals late in the half, while Talyor tallied two made free throws as the deficit sat at 44-25 in the final two minutes of play.  The final points of the half came on two made free throws from Lance, but Missouri Valley trailed at the break, 46-27.

Play in the second half started with six-straight points scored by MNU, followed by one field goal each from Lance and Junior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) to put the score at 52-31 with three minutes played.  Smith and Lance each had one more field goal over the next stretch, while Burnett made two free throw attempts to make it a 58-37 score just past the 15-minute mark.  The Pioneers maintained their advantage through the rest of the half, as MVC could not work back to a single-digit deficit.  Missouri Valley eventually fell by a 97-70 final score.

Lance led with 23 points followed by eight points and five assists from Smith.  Missouri Valley forced 14 turnovers in the game.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 7-9 overall and 6-6 in the conference.  MidAmerica Nazarene improves to 12-4 on the season and 10-2 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will host Baker (Kan.) in a Heart doubleheader, Wednesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  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.