Women's Basketball Defeat Central Methodist on Courtwarming

Marshall, Mo. (Feb. 4, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams hosted Central Methodist (Mo.) inside the Burns Athletic Complex for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader and Courtwarming, Wednesday evening.  The women's team pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 56-41 win in the Heart Game of the Week, presented by Olathe Chamber of Commerce.  The men's team fell by a final score of 77-72.

Central Methodist took a quick 4-0 lead at the start of the women's game.  With just over two minutes played, the first field goal for the contest for Missouri Valley came on a three-pointer by Freshman Guard Madison Mills (Farmington, Mo.).  Sophomore Forward Lexi Fenstermacher (O'Fallon, Mo.) followed two minutes later with a layup, and Senior Center Sara Ortiz (La Roda, Spain) added a basket midway through the quarter to put MVC ahead, 7-4.  Mills continued the stretch with a three-pointer, and Junior Guard Jessica Reeter (Chillicothe, Mo.) capped a 13-0 run for the Vikings with a three-point to put the score at 13-4 past the three-minute mark.  The Eagles answered with a pair of baskets to cut the gap down to 13-8 late in the quarter.  Ortiz came down with an offensive rebound and added a layup, while Mills blocked a last-second attempt from CMU as Missouri Valley went into the second quarter in front, 15-8.

The second quarter began with MVC going scoreless through the first four minutes of play, and Central Methodist working back to tie the teams at 15-15.  Reeter broke the tie at the six-minute mark with a three-pointer, and Ortiz added another basket two minutes later to make it a 20-15 score.  The Eagles knocked their deficit down to 20-19, but Reeter responded with a three-pointer to stretch the lead out to 23-19.  The final points of the half came from CMU to shrink the Viking lead down to 23-22 at halftime.

Central Methodist began the third quarter with a quick field goal after the restart to go on top, 24-23.  Mills came back on the initial MVC possession of the quarter with a three-pointer, while Fenstermacher added a layup to give the Vikings a 28-24 lead with two minutes off the clock.  The next basket for Missouri Valley came more than four minutes later, as Junior Guard Jozelynn Bostick (Centralia, Mo.) made a jumper to send the team ahead, 30-28.  After the Eagles tied the teams once again, Ortiz scored the next three points for MVC to give the team a 33-30 lead with just over one minute remaining in the quarter.  Mills added a late three-point shot, and the team held a 36-32 advantage going into the fourth quarter of play.

Ortiz scored six points in the opening three minutes of play in the fourth quarter to help extend the lead out to 43-34.  Central Methodist responded to cut the team's deficit down to 43-38 near the four-minute mark, but Missouri Valley began to pull away late in the game.  Reeter added a layup, then made a pair of free throws, while Mills sank another three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to give the team a double-digit advantage at 50-38.  Ortiz and Mills both added one layup apiece to end an 11-0 run for the team.  Reeter closed scoring in the game for the Vikings with a pair of late free throws, and Missouri Valley finished out a 56-41 win.

Ortiz led with her third double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.  Mills added 17 points, to finish in double-figures for the third time this season, and Reeter totaled 15 points, nine assists and three steals.  Missouri Valley held a 46-35 advantage in rebounds and limited the Eagles to 29-percent shooting from the floor.

Missouri Valley improves to 13-9 on the season and 10-5 in the Heart.  Central Methodist drops to 14-9 overall and 9-6 in the conference.  The Vikings sweep the season series against CMU, which included a 61-56 win in Fayette, Mo., back on Dec. 3.

The men's game began with a pair of early layups from Junior Kamari Slaughter (Gary, Ind.) to put the Vikings in front, 4-3, with just over two minutes played.  Missouri Valley produced just one more field goal over the next eight minutes of play, until a Sophomore Darrin Thompson (Huntsville, Ala.) steal and fast-break layup brought the team into a 22-10 deficit midway through the half.  The gap grew to 29-12 over the next three minutes, while layups from Freshman Damario Moss (Lexington, Mo.) and Thompson, along with a free throw by Senior Antwon Ferrell (Newman, Ga.) put the score at 29-17 with under three minutes remaining until the break.  Junior Keanu Patrick (Biloxi, Miss.) added a late dunk, and Slaughter finished scoring the half for MVC with a layup, but the team trailed, 35-21, at halftime.

Scoring in the second half started with layups from Patrick and Moss in the first two minutes of play to bring the team into a 35-25 deficit.  Central Methodist responded with a quick 8-0 run to extend the team's advantage.  Davenport followed with a layup, while CMU eventually built up a 50-27 lead near the 14-minute mark.  The Vikings outscored Central Methodist by a 10-0 margin over the next four minutes, which included four points from Slaughter, and made field goals from Thompson and Patrick, along with a pair of free throws from Moss to put the score at 50-37 near the midway point of the half. The Vikings continued to cut away at their deficit as Slaughter added a layup, Ferrell came up with a steal and fast-break layup, and another Slaughter basket put the team in a single-digit deficit, 52-43, at the nine-minute mark.  Ferrell scored the next six points for MVC over the following two minutes, and Slaughter added a three-pointer to move the gap down to 59-52 with seven minutes remaining.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, until Moss sank a three-pointer and Slaughter drove in for a layup to make it a 70-65 score near the final minute.  Central Methodist closed the game by making five free throws in the final minute.  Davenport added a four-point play in the closing moments, but Missouri Valley fell by a final score of 77-72.

Slaughter tied a season-high with 23 points, and added 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.  Ferrell had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Davenport added 11 points.  Missouri Valley finished with a 42-40 edge in rebounds and forced CMU into 14 turnovers.  

Missouri Valley drops to 16-7 on the season and 10-5 in the Heart.  Central Methodist improves to 15-8 overall and 9-6 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will travel to Peru, Neb., for a Heart doubleheader against Peru State (Neb.), Saturday.  Women's game at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.

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.