A last-second three-point shot attempt from Gia Moore was off-line, bringing Missouri Valley’s conference campaign to a close in a 74-73 loss Tuesday, Feb. 25 to Mount Mercy in the first round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference’s women’s basketball tournament.

MoValley attempted to pull away in the fourth quarter, building their largest lead of the game with a 9-0 run capped by Gia Moore’s lay-up and free throw after the foul. Mount Mercy would not go away, though, as they made three three-point baskets in the frame, including Malie Marfil’s at the buzzer that forced overtime. MoValley kept Mount Mercy off the board for the second part of the overtime frame, but they were unable to overcome the lead the Mustangs had built.

D’Ajha Horton led the Mustangs with 20 points, while Gia Moore added 17 and Ylenia Exposito tallied 16, as the Vikings were limited to 34 percent field goal shooting, including 21 percent in the third quarter. Malie Marfil, Annika Headington, and Claudia Vanzant each surpassed 20 points to keep Mount Mercy’s season going. Meanwhile, the Vikings are at 22-6 and will have to wait until March 6th to see if they’ll have a spot in the NAIA tournament.

The Viking men will visit Baker on Wednesday evening to start Heart of America tournament play against the top-seeded Wildcats. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.