Men's Basketball Falls to William Penn at Home

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 20, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams hosted William Penn (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader inside the Burns Athletic Complex, Wednesday evening.  The Viking women's team built up a large lead to win, 74-63.  The men's game was tied at halftime, but Missouri Valley fell, 82-68.

The men's game began with a three-pointer from Senior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) moments after the tip-off, followed by William Penn going on an 11-0 run to sit on top, 11-3, with just over two minutes played.  Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) ended the MVC drought with a layup, then Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) sank a three-pointer to make it an 11-8 score less than one minute later.  Lance and Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) added the next pair of baskets to pull the Vikings into a 16-12 deficit near the 15-minute mark.  The Statesmen built up its lead over the next two minutes, and claimed a double-digit advantage, 22-12, two minutes later.  Senior Jimmy Sorunke (Rockville, Md.) made a jumper, and Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) came through with a field goal, both coming off assists from Burnett, to cut the deficit down to 25-19, with 11-minutes to play in the half.  Sorunke then added a dunk and two made free throws, followed by a steal and fast-break dunk from Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) to tie the contest at 25-25, at the eight-minute mark.  Another made three-pointer from Patterson sent MVC in front, 28-27, with seven minutes remaining in the half.  Burnett added five free throws, and Patterson put in another pair from the free throw line to keep the Vikings ahead, 35-30, over the next three minutes of play.  A layup from Senior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) made it a 37-33 score nearing the two-minute mark.  The Statesmen responded to score six-straight points, but a late basket from Burnett tied the teams going into halftime, 39-39.

Missouri Valley used early baskets from both Jones and Burnett to reclaim the lead, 43-41, with just over two minutes played after the break.  A pair of three-point field goals made by Burnett allowed MVC to stay in front, 49-46, near the 16-minute mark.  The two teams traded points over the next three minutes, and Missouri Valley used a three-pointer from Smith to make it a 57-55 score.  A long drought followed for the Vikings, as William Penn went on an 18-0 run over a nearly seven minute stretch.  The Statesmen run was ended on a Sorunke free throw with, but MVC trailed, 73-58, past the seven-minute mark.  Smith made a jumper moments later, and Jones added four made free throws to work the deficit down to 76-64 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.  Missouri Valley was unable to work back to a single-digit gap in the closing moments, and fell by a final score of 82-68.

Burnett led with 22 points and six rebounds.  Patterson had nine points and seven rebounds, while Jones added nine points and four rebounds.  Missouri Valley forced 17 turnovers in the game, and came down with 15 offensive rebounds. 

Missouri Valley falls to 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.  William Penn improves to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams host Peru State (Neb.) in a Heart doubleheader, Saturday.  Women's game at 5 p.m., and the men's game follows at 7 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.