Men's Basketball Drops Road Game at Graceland

Lamoni, Iowa, (Nov. 16, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Lamoni, Iowa for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Graceland (Iowa), Saturday afternoon.  The men's team fell by a final score of 87-69.

The men's game started with the teams trading points early in the contest.  Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) made the first field goal for Missouri Valley, while Senior Dylan Drive (Covington, Ga.) added four points and Senior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) finished off a dunk to put the team on top, 9-6, with nearly six minutes played.  Graceland responded to outscore MVC by an 8-2 margin over the next two minutes to pull ahead, 14-11.  Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) answered with a pair of three-pointers to move the Vikings back in front, 17-16 near the 11-minute mark.  Lance added another three-point basket midway through the half to put the score at 20-17.  The Yellowjackets used a 6-0 run over the next minute of play to gain a 23-20 advantage.  Burnett sank a three-pointer, while Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinville, Ill.) made a layup following a Floyd steal to give Missouri Valley a 25-23 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the half.  The Vikings went scoreless for a nearly three minute stretch, but Burnett and Jones both put in three-point shots to send MVC in front, 30-26, with less than four minutes remaining before the break.  Late baskets from Driver and Smith closed out scoring in the half for Missouri Valley and kept the team ahead, 34-33, at halftime.

The second half started with GU going on a 6-0 run to pull in front, 39-34.  Burnett made the first basket of the half for the Vikings, on a three-pointer with more than two minutes played, to close the gap to 39-37.  Jones and Driver both added another three-point basket each to give MVC a 43-41 lead at the 16-minute mark.  The Vikings then went nearly four minutes without a field goal, and Gracecland gradually built up a 55-46 advantage.  Senior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) ended the drought with two made baskets, and a layup from Floyd shrunk the deficit to 57-52 midway through the half.  The Yellowjackets began to pull away from there, outscoring MVC by a 13-1 margin to make it a 70-53 score with less than eight minutes remaining.  Lance made a pair of free throws, followed by one free throw from Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) to put the gap at 71-56 near the six-minute mark.  Missouri Valley was unable to get any closer as the game played out, and the Vikings eventually fell, 87-69.

Lance led with 15 points, while Driver finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.  Burnett added 12 points, and Jones came off the bench to score 12 points and grab six rebounds.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Heart.  Graceland moves to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams will play their first home conference games of the season, hosting William Penn (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader, Wednesday, inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The women's game starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

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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.