The Missouri Valley College women’s basketball team hosted Park (Mo.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game Monday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex. The Vikings built up a lead at halftime, and pulled away from Park late in the game to earn a 75-57 win.
Missouri Valley went in front early in the contest, as Senior Guard Shalina Harper (Helper, Kan.) started the scoring with three made attempts from the free throw line. Senior Center Hannah Stephens (Hallsville, Mo.) added a field goal and Senior Forward Shanelle Tolley (Hope Island, Australia) converted a three-point play to give the Vikings an 8-3 lead with just over three minutes gone in the game. Park responded by scoring seven-straight points in less than one minute to go on top, 10-8. The two teams traded opportunities over the next several minutes, but Park eventually held a 17-13 advantage with under four minutes remaining in the quarter. Junior Forward Brecon Antrillo (Lakewood, Colo.) started a quick run for MVC with a field goal, followed later by a field goal from Stephens to help take an 18-17 lead moments later. Missouri Valley used field goals from Senior Guard Demetria Heard (Houston, Texas) and Harper to close the quarter, and hold a 24-21 advantage.
The Vikings continued to add to their lead at the start of the second quarter, as Senior Forward Ariel Miller (Maple Valley, Wash.) made a field goal, and was followed by a three-pointer from Junior Forward Irene Madrid (Barcelona, Spain) to make it a 30-21 score with one minute played. A steal by Tolley led to points-in-the-paint from Stephens, and the MVC lead sat at 32-23 near the seven-minute mark. Park chipped its deficit down to 33-28 with four minutes remaining in the half, but Missouri Valley gradually added to its advantage. Stephens scored four points, and Tolley made a pair of attempts from the free throw line to give the Vikings a 41-32 lead in the final minute of the half. The Pirates hit a pair of three-pointers, including one at the buzzer, to pull closer, but Missouri Valley went into halftime holding a 43-38 lead. The Vikings forced PU into 11 turnovers in the first half, and also came down with 12 offensive rebounds.
The third quarter featured Missouri Valley holding Park scoreless through nearly seven minutes of play after the restart. The Vikings forced three turnovers during the stretch and eventually built up a 55-38 advantage. Stephens led with five points during the run to start the quarter. Junior Center Kayla Nelson (Warrenton, Mo.) and Heard added field goals, while Junior Guard Sheilalika Agbayani (Lahaina, Hawaii) made a pair of free throws. Park worked its deficit down to 55-43 near the two-minute mark, but Nelson and Stephens answered with back-to-back field goals. Tolley made two attempts from the free throw line to close out the quarter, and MVC led, 61-43.
The two teams traded points over a stretch to start of the fourth quarter. However, the Vikings advantage reached 68-49 midway through the quarter on a Tolley field goal. The Pirates worked back to a 68-55 deficit less than two minutes later, but Missouri Valley put the game out of reach with a late 7-0 run. Nelson started the run with a pair of free throws, while Heard earned a steal and a fast-break lay-up. Stephens made a pair of free throws and Nelson added one more from the free throw line to cap the scoring for Missouri Valley. Park made one last field goal attempt in the closing moments, but the Vikings earned a 75-57 win.
Stephens led four Vikings in double-figures with her second-straight double-double, and third double-double in the past four games. She finished with a career-high 19 points to go with 11 rebounds. Tolley added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Nelson tied a career-high with 12 points, and added nine rebounds. Harper finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Missouri Valley limited Park to just 25-percent shooting in the second half, while forcing 20 turnovers in the game. The Vikings also held a 54-33 advantage in rebounding.
The win puts Missouri Valley at 3-3 overall and 2-3 in the Heart. Park drops to 1-3 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.
Up next, the Viking women’s basketball team will travel to Olathe, Kan., for a Heart contest against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The men’s game will follow at 7:30 p.m.