Men's Basketball Falls at Home No. 8 Baker

Marshall, Mo., (Jan. 15, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams welcomed in Baker (Kan.) for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Wednesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The women's team pulled away for a 79-58 win, while the men's team fell to the No. 8 Wildcats, 84-68.

Missouri Valley went in front at the start of the men's game, as Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) made the first field goal of the contest, followed by a three-pointer from Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) to make it a 5-0 score with just over two minutes played.  Three minutes later, Junior Alan Davis, Jr., (Sacramento, Calif.) added a basket and Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) recorded four points to help push the advantage out to 11-3.  The Vikings continued to increase their lead, as a pair of three-pointers from Patterson put the score at 19-10 near the 11-minute mark.  The next field goal for either team came more than three minutes later, and sent the MVC lead to double-digits, as a three-point shot from Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) made it 22-11 with just over eight minutes remaining in the half.  Missouri Valley continued to maintain its advantage, as Davis, Jr., made a layup and Smith sank a three-pointer with just over five minutes to play in the first half.  Another basket from Davis, Jr., made it a 30-18 score moments later.  The Wildcats worked back into the game, and went on an 8-0 run as the gap was cut to 30-26 less than one minute later.  A pair of field goals from Smith kept MVC in front, 34-29, near the two-minute mark.  Baker came back with five-straight points to tie the teams at 34-34.  Davis, Jr., made a pair of free throws moments later, but BU ended the half with two made three-point attempts.  Missouri Valley went into halftime trailing, 40-36.

The second half started with Baker going on an 8-0 run through nearly three minutes of play.  Ajanaku ended the stretch with a pair of free throws, but the team trailed, 48-38.  Ajanaku added four points near the 15-minute mark to keep the team within a 55-45 score.  The two teams traded points over the next several minutes, which include a jumper from Senior Dylan Driver (Covington, Ga.) and a layup from Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) as the deficit sat at 59-49.  Two made free throws and a made basket from Driver cut the gap to 61-53 just past the midway point of the half.  Another pair of free throw from Driver made it a 62-55 score less than one minute later.  The Wildcats responded with a run over the next four minutes, outscoring MVC by a 15-2 margin to sit at 77-57.  Missouri Valley was unable to work back into the game from there, and fell by a final score of 84-68.

Patterson led with 15 points, while Jones had 11 points and five rebounds.  Both Driver and Davis, Jr., came off the bench to score 10 points apiece.  Missouri Valley forced 12 turnovers in the game, and came down with 13 offensive rebounds.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 6-11 overall and 5-8 in the Heart.  Baker improves to 16-1 on the season and 13-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams travel to Peru, Neb., for a Heart doubleheader with Peru State (Neb.), Saturday.  Women's game at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.  Missouri Valley won the women's game, at home, back on Nov. 23, 82-63, and the men's team earned a 76-70 victory over the Bobcats.

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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.