Culver-Stockton College guard Avery Oetting, right, puts up a shot during Wednesday night’s Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal victory over Missouri Valley College at Charles Field House in Canton, Mo. | Photo courtesy Diego Melendez

CANTON, Mo. — Knocked down, but never knocked out.

That’s how the Culver-Stockton College women’s basketball team handled Missouri Valley College’s second-half rally Wednesday night.

The Vikings outscored the Wildcats 24-12 in the third quarter of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal, erasing a 41-31 halftime deficit and carrying a 55-53 lead into the final 10 minutes.

However, C-SC didn’t stay down long, scoring the first two field goals of the fourth quarter and never falling behind again. An 8-0 run that began with 4 ½ minutes remaining broke a 60-60 tie and catapulted the Wildcats to a 69-64 victory at Charles Field House.

With the victory, fourth-seeded C-SC (21-8) advances to face top-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene (24-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday in the tournament semifinals in Olathe, Kan. The Pioneers beat Central Methodist 76-42 in a quarterfinal matchup.

For a spell, it appeared the Wildcats’ remarkable season would be a season on the brink.

C-SC extended its lead to 12 points when Haley Webb made the first basket of the half a little more than a minute into the quarter. The Vikings answered with a Jessica Reeter 3-pointer which kickstarted a 20-3 run for a 51-46 lead.

During Missouri Valley’s surge, C-SC went 1 of 5 from the field and 1 of 3 from the free-throw line with one turnover. At the same time, the Vikings went 7 of 7 from the field with five 3-pointers.

C-SC refused to fold, even after Reeter’s layin gave Missouri Valley a 55-53 at the end of the third quarter. Reeter, who finished with a game-high 23 points, made just one field goal in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats limited the Vikings to 4-of-10 shooting down the stretch. Missouri Valley also committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings committed 20 turnovers overall, while the Wildcats committed just six.

Avery Oetting led C-SC with 17 points, while Misora Nambara finished with 11 points and five assists. The Wildcats went 9 of 16 from 3-point range (56.3 percent) with their bench outsourcing the Vikings’ reserves 22-8.

Photos courtesy Diego Melendez