Wildcats’ Upset Bid Comes Up Short Against No. 18 Grand View

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – After taking the lead with five minutes left to play, Baker women's basketball couldn't hold on to complete its upset of No. 18 Grand View on Saturday, eventually falling to the Vikings, 74-65 in a hard-fought conference battle inside the Collins Center.

The Wildcats matched a season high with 12 threes in the game, shooting over 40 percent from downtown while going just 37 percent overall from the floor. The key difference came at the charity stripe where Grand View almost tripled Baker's trips to the line, sinking 28-of-31 free throws while BU went 9-for-11.

Four players reached double figures for the Wildcats with Emma Cunningham posting 14 points along with seven rebounds. Sophia Barrett and Leah Van Weelden each finished with 13 points apiece while Alyssa Morris added 11 points off the bench after tallying three triples in the game.

It was the Vikings who caught fire from deep to start the game after recording four of their six threes in the first quarter of Saturday's contest to take an early 18-6 lead. The Wildcats worked their way back down the stretch of the opening quarter though with Morris and Matalina Ochoa connecting on a couple of threes as well to pull Baker within six at the end of the period.

In the second quarter, Jaelyn Two Hearts and Barrett offered up back-to-back triples to make it a four-point ballgame before Van Weelden and Hayley Numrich followed suit with another set of threes a few minutes later to bring the score to 31-26 in favor of GVU.

With both sides going scoreless for a stretch, Van Weelden converted an old-fashioned three-point play to get BU within two and Ochoa was able to drop a layup in right before the halftime horn as the Wildcats went into the half trailing, 33-31.

Baker continued to stay hot from the three-point arc in the third quarter with another set of threes coming from Van Weelden and Morris with the midseason transfer swishing in one to bring the 'Cats within one at 38-37.

The Vikings used a 12-4 run to create a little breathing room before BU stormed back with a string of eight unanswered points with six of them coming from Barrett.

With Grand View clinging to a five-point lead heading into the final quarter, Morris drilled a three to spark another key 8-0 run for the Wildcats with a triple by Two Hearts giving them their first lead of the game at 59-58.

After the Vikings retook the lead, Van Weelden got a driving layup to fall a little bit later to put Baker back in front with 5:11 left in the game, but that would be the last time BU would lead as GVU limited the Wildcats to just two shots the rest of the way and escaped Collins with a narrow 74-65 win.

Following a tough start to Heart of America play, Baker has started to find its footing on the 2024 side of the season with two wins already since the new year, including an 11-point win on the road at Missouri Valley on Wednesday, and now has lost by single digits in all three of its setbacks since the winter break.

Up next, the Wildcats take on Park in a midweek conference matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Parkville, Mo.

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