The Park University women's basketball program hosted No. 12 MidAmerica Nazarene University on Wednesday evening in Breckon Sports Center. The Pioneers showed why they are an NAIA Top 25 team, but Park outscored the Pioneers in the second half, 66-55. 

Park falls to 4-5 on the year with an 0-4 Heart of America Athleic Conference record, while the Pioneers are unblemished in Heart play at 5-0 and have an 8-1 regular season record.

For Park, this is now the fifth straight loss after a 4-0 start to the year. In each loss, Park has been held at or under 66 points.Against the Pioneers, Park was held to their season low in points scored

Park's 11-point deficit to the Pioneers is the closest conference game MidAmerica Nazarene has had so far in 2025-26.

In the first half, Park was under pressure from the Pioneers, being held to 12 points in each first and second quarter, while the Pioneers scored 24 in the opening quarter alone.

Park tied the score three times to open the game, but then a 10-2 run for MidAmerica Nazarene put them up eight points at the 4:11 mark. Jordan Bianco got a bucket at 3:57 to come within six points, but then a 8-2 run over the next four minutes closed out the quarter, 24-12. 

Park's Nevaeh Spillman and Elizabeth Boehm alternated points with the Pioneers in the first two minutes of the second quarter for a score of 28-16. The Pioneers' 4-0 run was answered by Charleece Davis' 4-0 run. A couple three pointers in the last few possessions by MidAmerica Nazarene put more distance between themselves and the Pirates at the end of the half, 38-24. 

Just outside of the first four minutes in the third quarter, the Pioneers went on an 11-6 run for a 19-point lead, 49-30. The scoring slowed for the Pioneers in the remaining minutes though and in the last minute and a half Park started to turn the corner, starting with a three by Madison Hill. A 4-0 run by Marina Perdiguero and Nadiyah Cooper were enough to keep the deficit at 14 going into the fourth quarter, 55-41.

Layups by Boehm, Cooper, and Spillman got Park out to a 6-2 run in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, 56-47. Then, Davis and Spillman went for back-to-back buckets to make it a seven-point game with 3:37 to play, 59-52. The Pioneers responded to prevent a comeback with a 4-0 run and that made the difference in the final result, 66-55. 

The Pioneers were held to 38-percent from the field, while Park was at 35-percent. Park was only one-of-five from deep and the Pioneers were at a similar percentage with a five-of-22 performance from behind the three-point line. 

Park outperformed MidAmerica Nazarene at the free-throw line at 14-of-18 compared to a 19-of-30 night from the Pioneers. 

Both teams were sitting at 13 turnovers for the game and MidAmerica Nazarene capitalized the most with 17 points off turnovers compared to Park's eight. 

Boehm and Spillman led Park with 13 points apiece, while Spillman reached a double-double with 10 rebounds. 

Davis crossed the double-digit threshold with 10 points and had a healthy six rebounds. 

Perdiguero was second in rebounds with seven and contributed six points. 

Leading Park with three steals was Cooper, who also gave a quality eight points. 

Davis and Cooper co-led the Pirates with three assists as well.

Park comes back to Breckon Sports Center, off of finals week, against William Woods University at 2pm on Saturday, December 6. WATCH
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