Ozarks spoils Lady Vikings' debut

Senior Ashley Sequeira, the Lady Vikings' lone returning starter, knocked down a three-pointer during a season-opening loss at No. 3 College of the Ozarks. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

POINT LOOKOUT -- There certainly could be an easier way for new Missouri Valley College head women's basketball coach Jolene Christensen to inaugurate her tenure than a road game at NAIA Division II powerhouse College of the Ozarks.

The Lady Bobcats were coming off a season in which they won 31 games before suffering their only loss in the national championship, 82-75 to Northwestern (Iowa) for their third straight second-place finish.

Not unexpectedly, the Lady Vikings -- who had only one starter back among three players who were part of their regular rotation during the 15-15 2008 campaign -- didn't do very well during Friday's debut, falling 98-39.

Ozarks rolled to a 46-18 halftime lead and never looked back, even while substituting liberally during the second half. All-America senior guard Kayli Combs, one of three returning starters for the Lady Bobcats, scored a game-high 18 points in only 23 minutes of action.

After making 51.5 percent of its first-half field goal attempts, Ozarks shot 53.1 percent after the break. The Lady Bobcats also controlled the boards by a 43-26 margin and had 18 steals, four each by junior Kayla Messick and freshman Miranda Vaught, among their 35 takeaways.

Senior Emily Nichols and junior Emily Bell each scored 12 points off the bench for Ozarks (1-0).

Junior Jessica Francka led Valley with eight points and nine rebounds, with sophomore Chelsea Quiring also tallying eight points. Junior Daisha Shannon contributed three steals and a pair of assists.

One bright spot for the Lady Vikings was their four-for-10 three-point shooting, a year after making only 28.3 percent of their attempts from outside the arc. However, Valley only shot 29.8 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from the free throw line.

The Lady Vikings (0-1) will play two games this weekend at the Freed-Hardeman Tournament in Henderson, Tenn.