Pioneers’ Big Third Quarter Dooms Wildcats in Road Loss at MNU

OLATHE, Kan. – After holding them to just 22 points in the first half, Baker women's basketball suffered through a 30-point third quarter from the Pioneers as the Wildcats fell to MidAmerica Nazarene, 70-60 in a Valentine's Day matchup on Wednesday in Olathe, Kan.

Both sides struggled shooting the ball from anywhere besides the free-throw line as neither team shot over 40 percent from the floor. The Wildcats missed just three free throws (17-for-20) though, finishing one fewer than an MNU squad that went 20-for-24 at the charity stripe.

Leah Van Weelden dropped a game-high 25 points, doing most of her damage from the line where she held an 11-for-14 mark. Emma Cunnigham posted 17 points to go along with her seven rebounds, while Alyssa Morris pulled down double-digit rebounds with 10 boards and finished with eight points.

The Wildcats got off to a fast start to open the rivalry contest with Van Weelden knocking down the first of her two treys in the game and then completing the latter end of back-to-back buckets with Jaelyn Two Hearts to give BU an early 12-5 lead.

The Pioneers started to get going midway thru the opening period, scoring 12 of the final 18 points in the frame, but a buzzer-beater by Cunningham ensured an 18-17 lead for BU at the end of the first quarter.

Van Weelden fired in another three to make it a six-point lead for BU early in the second quarter before Matalina Ochoa put Baker up by seven at 27-20 with 4:07 left to halftime.

The game would come to a standstill from there though as an MNU layup in the final seconds of action was the only scoring of a four-minute drought that saw Baker take a 27-22 lead into halftime.

MNU dialed it up a notch in the third quarter, recording four total threes en route to a 30-point period for the hosts. After the Pioneers hit back-to-back triples, Van Weelden scored four straight to keep it at a one-possession game midway thru the quarter.

A three-point play by Morris brought the 'Cats within single digits to close out the period as Baker went into the fourth trailing, 52-43.

In the fourth quarter, MNU pushed its lead back out to double figures before a steal by Morris led to an easy layup for the midseason transfer. Back-to-back baskets from Two Hearts and Van Weelden brought the Wildcats within five with less than two minutes left, but MNU continued to convert at the free throw line and finished off its conference win, 70-60.

With just two games left in the regular season, the Wildcats will head to their final road game of the year with a matchup against Culver-Stockton on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in Canton, Mo.

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