MAC Defeats Moberly To Earn #3 Seed

MOBERLY, Mo. — The Mineral Area College Cardinals secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NJCAA Region 16 Tournament with a hard-fought 79–74 road victory over Moberly Area Community College on Feb. 28.

With the win, the Cardinals advance to the Region 16 semifinals, where they will travel to face No. 2 seed Three Rivers College on Tuesday, March 10.

Dallas powers Cardinals' offense

MAC leaned on a dominant performance from Mariah Dallas, who poured in a game-high 37 points while shooting 12-of-26 from the field and a perfect 13-of-13 at the free-throw line. Dallas also added seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals in a complete performance.

The Cardinals overcame an early deficit after trailing 22–17 at the end of the first quarter. MAC responded with a strong second period, outscoring Moberly 24–17 to take a 41–39 halftime lead.

Kinley Norris added nine points, knocking down three 3-pointers, while Presley Holweg contributed nine points and six free throws. Lamiya Gooden provided a key spark off the bench with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double effort.

Strong finish seals road victory

The Cardinals maintained control through the third quarter, holding Moberly to just 10 points while building a five-point advantage entering the final period. Moberly made a late push with 25 fourth-quarter points, but MAC's free-throw shooting and timely scoring down the stretch preserved the win.

As a team, MAC shot 44.3 percent from the field and converted 19-of-24 free throws, while forcing 18 turnovers and recording 11 steals.

Postseason matchup set

The victory positions MAC as the No. 3 seed in the Region 16 Tournament and sets up a semifinal showdown at Three Rivers College on March 10 at 6pm with the winner advancing to the Region 16 Championship on Friday, March 13.