Women's Basketball Builds Early Lead, Tops Mount Mercy

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (November 29, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday evening, for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Mount Mercy (Iowa).  The women's team built up an early lead and held off the Mustangs for a 79-70 win.

Scoring in the women's game started on made field goals from both Junior Gia Moore (Independence, Mo.) and Sophomore Sophie Sullivan (Lombard, Ill.) to put Missouri Valley on top, 4-0, with one minute played.  Mount Mercy worked over the next stretch and put the teams in a 7-7 tie with nearly four minutes played in the contest.  Moore broke the tie with a three-pointer, followed by five points from Freshman Ricarda Schott (Krefeld, Germany).  Sullivan added a three-point shot to cap an 11-0 run and give the Vikings an 18-7 lead with just over four minutes to play in the quarter.  Schott added three points, and Sullivan put in a layup to make it a 24-10 score in the final minute.  Sophomore Maisie Harrhy (Barry, Wales) sank a three-point field goal to cap scoring for MVC as the team held a 27-12 advantage going into the second quarter.

Two quick field goals in the opening minute of the second quarter from Schott put the score at 31-15.  Schott came down an offensive rebound and a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Harrhy as the lead grew to 36-17 just past the seven-minute mark.  The next basket for Missouri Valley came from Freshman Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) near the midway point of the quarter to keep the team on top, 38-22.  Bostick sank another layup nearly three minutes later, but the Mustangs chipped away at their deficit over the final stretch of play in the first half.  Missouri Valley held a 43-31 lead going into halftime.

A three-pointer from Moore started the scoring after the break, while a jumper from Schott and a layup from Junior Rajone Callahan (Wichita, Kan.) stretched the advantage to 50-33 with two minutes played.  Mount Mercy outscored MVC by a 9-3 margin over the next several minutes to trail 53-42.  Moore ended the drought with a basket, followed by a jump shot from Sullivan with less than two minutes remaining on the clock to make it a 57-42 score.  Sophomore Tyler Conkright (Ellington, Mo.) added a layup in the final minute to send the Vikings into the fourth quarter ahead, 59-47.

Freshman Jocelynn Thompson (Austin, Texas) made a layup, and Moore added a three-pointer to increase the Viking lead to 64-47 with just over one minute played in the fourth quarter.  Moore added four more points to keep MVC on top, 68-53 just past the six-minute mark.  The Mustangs began to work back into the game, and trailed by single-digits, 74-66, with just over one minute to play.  Sullivan ended the MMU run with a field goal.  Conkright, Sullivan and Junior Noa Fernandez (Castraneda, Spain) all added one free throw apiece to hold off Mount Mercy late, and secure a 79-70 win.

Schott led with 20 points and six rebounds.  Moore added 19 points and six rebounds, while Sullivan finished with 15 points.  Fernandez totaled 15 rebounds and five points.  Missouri Valley shot over 48-percent from the field and held a 48-28 advantage in rebounds. 

Missouri Valley improves to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Heart.  This is the team's best start to conference play since the 2000-01 season.  Mount Mercy drops to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will host William Penn (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader, Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Women's game at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 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.