Men's Basketball Holds Off Benedictine for Home Win

Marshall, Mo., (Dec. 13, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams welcomed in Benedictine (Kan.) in the Burns Athletic Complex Wednesday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader.  The women's team fell, 81-59, while the men's team came back from a halftime deficit for a 69-61 win.

The men's game opened with the two teams struggling to score early, as Junior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) blocked a shot, and Junior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) sank a three-pointer to put MVC ahead, 3-2, with over two minutes played.  Missouri Valley went scoreless over the next four minutes of play, as Benedictine scored nine-straight points to move in front, 11-3, with just over six minutes gone in the contest.  Burnett ended the drought with a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) to shrink the deficit to 11-8.  Junior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) put in the next basket for MVC to make it a 13-10 game near the 12-minute mark.  Junior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) added a layup midway through the half, while Junior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) came up with a steal that led to a Senior Vincent Taylor (Dallas, Texas) fast-break dunk.  Jones followed with a three-pointer, and Missouri Valley regained the lead, 17-16, with eight minutes to play before the break. Lance added another three-point basket, to keep the team in front, 20-18, and the two teams traded points over the next several minutes.  The Ravens eventually went on top, and led, 28-22 with two minutes remaining.  Smith capped scoring in the half with a three-point play in the closing seconds to bring the gap down to 28-26 at halftime.

Play resumed in the second half with Missouri Valley going on a quick run, as Jones scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, and Burnett added another three-point basket to help the team outscore BC 11-4, with two minutes played and reclaim the lead at 37-32.  Benedictine answered to tie the teams at 37-37, but Smith broke the deadlock with a pair of free throws, while Taylor added another free throw to put the score at 40-37 with just over four minutes off the clock.  The Ravens got to within a 40-39 deficit moments later, which was followed by a Viking run.  Taylor started the stretch with a layup, Ajanaku made a pair of free throws, and Jones sank another three-point field goal.  Junior Logan Walker (Lebam, Wash.) finished the 9-2 run with a layup, and MVC built up a 49-41 advantage midway through the half.  Benedictine trimmed the gap down to 51-46 near the eight-minute mark, then made it 56-51 with just over five minutes remaining.  Lance responded with three-pointer, and Taylor added a layup to put the lead at 61-53 one minute later.  The Ravens then outscored MVC by a 5-1 margin over the next three minutes, to make it a 62-58 game.  Jones added to the advantage with two free throws, and Burnett sank one attempt from the free throw line, as the lead sat at 65-59 with 36-seconds left to play.  Lance and Burnett both made a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to finish out the game, and secure a 69-61 win.

Jones led with 24 points, which included 8 off 11 in field goals, and 6 of 7 on three-point attempts.  He added six rebounds and five assists.  Taylor totaled 11 points, while Smith added nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.  Missouri Valley forced 14 turnovers in the game, and held a 40-36 edge in rebounds.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference.  Benedictine drops to 3-7 on the season and 2-5 in the Heart.

Up next for the men's team is a road contest in the Heart, in Fayette, Mo., against Central Methodist (Mo.), Jan. 3.  Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

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.