A milestone and an upset unfolded Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Burns Athletic Center, as the Missouri Valley Vikings posted a sweep of the Graceland Yellowjackets.
Gia Moore’s layup two minutes into the third quarter allowed her to claim the all-time points record for the Viking women’s basketball team, surpassing Michele Reinke. She then became the first Viking to score 1500 career points with a three-pointer later in the period, as she led all scorers with 18 points in Missouri Valley’s 85-60 win over Graceland. The Vikings took control early with 27 points in the first quarter, then went on three runs of nine, eight, and seven points in the second quarter to tame the Yellowjackets.
Moore was among four Vikings in double figures, with Rajone Callahan contributing 13, Ylenia Exposito adding 12, and Ricarda Schott scoring ten. The Vikings scored 46 percent from the floor, including nine from behind the arc, while holding Graceland to just 33 percent shooting. Genesis Alarcon led the Jackets with 14 points and 12 rebnounds, while Kymani Freeman added 11 points. The Vikings advance to 13-3 on the year, including 9-3 in the Heart of America.
The men’s game saw a back-and-forth contest turn into a sizable upset as the Vikings went on a 14-4 run to end the first half, en route to an 81-68 victory over the 25th ranked Yellowjackets. The Vikings dug out of an early hole with a 9-0 run that included five points from Keenan Jones, then benefitted from a pair of Porter James jump shots to make the halftime lead 40-28. The Vikings scored the first five points of the second half, both baskets by J’Luan Patterson, and led by as much as 18. But Graceland went on an 18-2 run to wipe out most of the Viking lead before Valley went on an eight-point run of their own to reassert themselves, and led the rest of the way.
Five Vikings were in double figures, with Jones and Jarrius Burnett both leading Valley with 16 points apiece. Floyd came off the bench score 13 while Cawhan Smith netted 12 and James Porder added 10. Valley controlled the boards with a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points and 26 points off of Graceland’s 20 turnovers. Graceland also experienced foul trouble, with three starters accruing four fouls apiece that led to 18 Viking points from the charity stripe. Carter Brown led the Jackets with 21 points, while Cole Bown posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 defensive rebounds.
The Vikings improve to 6-10 on the season, including a 5-7 mark in the Heart. Both squads host Baker Wednesday evening, with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the men around 7:30 p.m.