FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Mississippi Valley's women's basketball team lost their final non-conference contest 86-46 to the Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas.
Christina Reed paced the Mississippi Valley with 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals, three assists and one block; while Ashley Beals added 15 points and eight rebounds. Kahdejah Stevens tallied six rebounds and nine points for the Devilettes.
MVSU began the contest with a team foul, sending Arkansas to the line to shoot to free throws. Missing the first, Jessica Jackson landed the second to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 edge. Arkansas pulled down a defensive rebound and scored on a fast break to take a three-point lead with just under ten minutes remaining in the first. Reed landed the Devilettes on the board with an amazing display of athletic ability; missing a jumper, she pulled down the offensive rebound and made a layup to cut the lead to one. Each team went on successful runs in the first, however the Univerity of Arkansas was able to take a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.
In the second, Mississippi Valley struggled offensively yet they didn't stop fighting. Scoring eight in the second, going into halftime the score was 39-19, in favor of the Razorbacks.
After the break, MVSU doubled their second quarter scoring, landing 16-points; however Arkansas extended their lead tallying 30-points during the quarter. In the final 10-minutes of the contest, MVSU finished with 11-points, while holding the Razorbacks under 20 with 18-points.
As a team the Devilettes finished with 16 offensive rebounds, 22 defensive rebounds for a total of 38. The team landed 15 field goals for a 26.3 percentage.
Mississippi Valley will be back in action and back home on January 4, when they open the conference season with the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The double header (men to follow) is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
"I think there were some things we did well and some we need to improve. We can't dwell on this contest, the non-conference season is over and we have to focus on our conference opponents," said Head Coach Elvis Robinson.
