The Missouri Valley Viking women led from the first field goal to cruise to victory over Baker, while the men couldn’t hold onto an early lead against the eighth-ranked Wildcats in Heart of America doubleheader action Wednesday, Jan. 15 in the Burns Athletic Center.
The Viking women rolled to a 79-58 win, with four starters in double figures. Ylenia Exposito tallied 17 points to lead the Vikings, while Gia Moore added 14 and Rajone Callahan tossed in 13 points. Noa Fernandez tallies 10 rebounds to help Valley post a 41-33 advantage on the boards. Despite runs in the second quarter by Baker, the game was not in doubt as Valley claimed a 34-20 lead at the half, and shot better than 50 percent during the second half. The Vikings improve to 14-3 overall, including a 10-3 record in the conference. Baker relied on Destiny Kiner for 24 points as the Wildcats fell to 2-13 on the year, 1-12 in the Heart.
It was a similar script for the Viking men, except they were the ones scoring first but not enough in their 84-68 loss. J’Luan Patterson sunk three three-pointers early in the contest, while Jarrius Burnett and Cawhan Smith added treys of their own to make the score 28-16 with five-and-a-half minutes remaining in the half. But the lead would not last, as Baker’s Korey Jones had three of the six three-point baskets that would propel the Wildcats to the 40-36 halftime lead. Baker would add to their lead with a 13-5 start to the second half, en route to the Wildcat victory.
Valley’s field goal shooting went chilly in the second half, only making one-third of their shots, while Baker’s accuracy neared 54 percent in the frame. Patterson wrapped up the game with 15 points to lead the Vikings, while Cawhan Smith added 11, as the Vikings drop to 6-11 overall, 5-8 in league play. Quentin Harvey led the Wildcats with 24 points, one of four Baker players in double-figures. He also had five of Baker’s 13 baskets from behind the arc to keep Baker undefeated in conference play, with an overall record of 16-1.
After an extended stay at home, the Vikings travel this weekend to Peru State for a doubleheader Saturday. The women tip off at 2 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 4 p.m.