Men's Basketball Tops Mount Mercy at Home in High-Scoring Game

Marshall, Mo., (Dec. 7, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams welcomed in Mount Mercy (Iowa) into the Burns Athletic Complex for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon.  The women's team fell, 75-66, while the men's team led through much of its game, finishing with a 96-82 win.

Missouri Valley went in front early in the men's game, as a quick layup from Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) moments after the opening tip-off, and a pair of three-pointers from Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) and Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) gave the team an 8-2 lead with two minutes off the clock.  The teams traded points over the next several minutes, which included two made field goals from Junior Forward Alan Davis, Jr. (Sacramento, Calif.).  Smith came up with a steal, and finished off a three-point play to give the Vikings a double-digit advantage, 16-6, near the 13-minute mark, then forced another steal that led to a Senior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) dunk moments later.  Missouri Valley continued to increase the margin through the next stretch.  Ajanaku added a three-point play, Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) made two free throws and Senior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) sank a three-pointer, after a Jones steal, to cap a 7-2 run midway through the half, and make it a 26-11 score.  The Mustangs worked back, and eventually cut the team's deficit down to 33-24 with just over six minutes to play in the half.  Patterson put the lead back to double-digits with a three-pointer, followed by a basket from Senior Dylan Driver (Covington, Ga.) to keep the team on top, 38-26 near the five-minute mark.  With just over three minutes to play before the break, Jones made it a 41-30 score with a three-pointer, and the ensuing MMU possession ended in a steal from Lance.  The play continued with Lance setting up an alley-oop dunk for Floyd, as the team led 43-30 late in the half.  Patterson capped scoring for MVC with a made jumper, but Mount Mercy closed play with five-straight points to trail, 47-39 at halftime.

The second half started with the Vikings stretching the advantage back to double-digits, helped by three-pointers from Jones and Patterson to make it a 54-44 score two minutes after the restart.  The Mustangs worked down the deficit to single-digits again, over the next three minutes of play, but Davis, Jr., added a pair of field goals to help keep MVC on top, 60-51.  Another Davis, Jr., field goal, this time off an offensive rebound and tip-in basket, pushed the lead to 64-53 near the 12-minute mark.  Floyd followed with five-straight points to make it a 69-54 score less than one minute later.  Mount Mercy answered with a 7-0 run to trail, 69-61.  The Vikings began to pull away in the final seven minutes.  Ajanaku started the late stretch with a layup, and Jones made two free throw attempts.  Ajanaku made another basket, and two-straight three-pointers from Patterson put the advantage at 86-71 at the four-minute mark.  Smith made four free throw attempts, and Floyd added two more made free throws as MVC kept Mount Mercy from working its way back into the game. Final baskets from both Patterson and Ajanaku ended scoring for Missouri Valley in the contest, and closed out a 96-82 win.

Six Vikings finished in double-figures scoring.  Patterson led with a season-high 21 points to go with six rebounds.  Jones also had a season-high with 16 points, while Ajanaku tallied a career-high 14 points, and added seven rebounds.  Davis, Jr., came off the bench for a season-high 14 points, with Smith added 12 points, seven assists and four steals.  Floyd came off the bench to score 11 points.  Lance led with a career-high 12 assists, to go with five points.  Missouri Valley shot over 55-percent from the floor, including 52-percent on 11-21 three-point attempts.  The team also forced 16 turnovers and held a 36-28 advantage in rebounds.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the Heart.  Mount Mercy drops to 1-9 on the season and 0-6 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams travel to Atchison, Kan., for a Heart doubleheader against Benedictine (Kan.), Wednesday evening.  Women's game starts at 5:30 p.m. against the No. 23 Ravens, 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.