Men's Basketball Falls on the Road to Baker

Baldwin City, Kan., (Nov. 21, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College basketball teams traveled to Baldwin City, Kan., Tuesday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Baker (Kan.).  The women's team jumped out to an early lead, and held off the Wildcats for a 63-57 win.  The men's team fell by a final score of 93-74.

The men's game opened with both teams staying scoreless through the first two minutes of play.  Junior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) put in the first field goal of the game, a three-pointer, while Junior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) added a layup to tie the teams at 5-5 with nearly four minutes off the clock.  The Vikings went back in front near the 15-minute mark on three made free throws from Burnett, to make it an 8-5 score.  The Wildcats briefly claimed a 13-10 advantage, but Junior Runelvys Hernandez (Independence, Mo.) sank a three-point shot to tie the score at 13-13 with eight minutes played.  The Wildcats responded with a run over the next five minutes of action, outscoring MVC by a 19-2 margin to build up a 32-15 lead.  Burnett ended the run moments later with a layup, but BU eventually made it a 38-17 score past the five-minute mark.  Hernandez scored four points over a stretch of play late in the half, while Patterson added a pair of free throws, but the VIkings were unable to trim their deficit and trailed, 51-25 going into halftime.

After Baker started play in the second half with a quick basket, Missouri Valley answered with a layup from Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.), a free throw from Senior Vincent Taylor (Dallas, Texas) and a jump shot from Burnett.  Junior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) added a three-pointer moments later to help cut the gap to 56-33 with less than three minutes played.  The Wildcats followed with a 14-1 run over the next five minutes to push their advantage to 70-34.  Junior Dylan Driver (Covington, Ga.) ended the drought for MVC with a layup, while Junior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) added a field goal and Lance sank a three-point shot to put the score at 72-41 near the 12-minute mark.  Baker gradually added to its lead through the next several minutes, staying ahead 86-52 with seven minutes remaining.  Missouri Valley was unable to work down its deficit late in the game, and fell by a final score of 93-74.

Burnett led with 16 points and seven rebounds.  Junior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) scored nine points off the bench, and Lance added eight points.  Missouri Valley forced 21 turnovers in the game.

Missouri Valley drops to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the Heart.  Baker improves to 5-2 on the season and 3-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a Heart doubleheader at Mount Mercy (Iowa), Nov. 29.  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

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Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.