The Missouri Valley Vikings women’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the season in what was a comfortable victory for the 24th ranked MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers, who posted an 89-57 score Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Burns Athletic Complex in Marshall.
The Pioneers set the tone early, outscoring MoValley by a 28-8 mark in the first quarter. The gap only expanded as MidAmerica Nazarene proceeded to outscore the Vikings in each of the remaining three quarters. Kameron Green led the Pioneers with 21 points, while Mary Lukert added 18 from the bench and Keona Schenck finished with 17. Ricarda Schott led the Vikings with 16 points while Mackenzie Mills chipped in 11. The Pioneers went 11 for 26 from three-point range, while MoValley only made one from behind the arc out of their 13 attempts. The Viking women are now 8-1 overall, with a 5-1 mark in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. MidAmerica Nazarene advance to 9-2 on the season, including a 7-0 mark in the conference.
It was a tighter contest in the men’s game, as despite allowing the first 11 points of the contest, Missouri Valley battled back to tie the game with 52 seconds remaining. However, the Vikings’ Cawhan Smith missed a three-point jump shot at the buzzer, allowing MidAmerica Nazarene to escape with a 65-63 win. Missouri Valley set up their comeback effort by going on a 12-4 run in the final five minutes of the first half, then kept in striking distance as they made 40 percent of their shots after the intermission, including 31 percent from three-point range. Smith led the way for the Vikings with a career-high 17 points, while Jace Lance added 13. The Pioneers were paced by Malachi Bryant with 17 points, while Brooks Langrehr contributed 14 to the winning effort. Missouri Valley fall to 2-7 on the year, along with a 1-5 league mark. MidAmerica Nazarene improve to 4-6 overall, 3-4 in the Heart.
The Vikings remain at home this weekend when they host Mount Mercy. The women’s game tips off at noon Saturday, followed by the men’s game around 2 p.m.