Men's Basketball Opens Season With Homecoming Win Over UHSP

Marshall, Mo. (Oct. 25, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's basketball season opened the 2025-26 season and the Jim Boone era with a Homecoming game at home against Health Sciences & Pharmacy (Mo.) inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings built up a double-digit halftime lead, and earned an 89-79 win.

The two teams traded points in the opening minutes of the first half, as a block from Junior Keanu Patrick (Biloxi, Miss.) led to a dunk from Junior Ryan Lewis (Fontana, Calif.) for the first points of the contest, and a three-pointer from Junior Devin Davenport (Milwaukee, Wisc.) tied the score at 7-7 with just over five minutes played.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy was kept scoreless over a more than three-minute stretch early in the first half, but four-straight points near the 12-minute mark put UHSP on top, 11-9.  Freshman Shalva Meunargia (Tbilisi, Georgia) answered with a three-pointer, then Junior Anthony Leath (Nashville, Tenn.) came up with a steal that led to a three-point play from Senior Antwon Ferrell (Newman, Ga.) to send the Vikings ahead, 15-11 midway through the half.  The two teams traded points over the next two minutes, with two made three-pointers from Freshman Damario Moss (Lexington, Mo.) extending the MVC advantage to 23-18 with just over seven minutes remaining until halftime.  Moss added another three-point shot just over one minutes later, and a layup from Davenport gave Missouri Valley a double-digit lead for the first time, 28-18, at the five-minute mark.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy chipped its deficit down to 30-25 over the next two minutes of play, but Freshman Kenneth Smith (Kansas City, Mo.) sank three free throw attempts to make it a 33-25 score as the half reached two minutes to play.  Ferrell put MVC back in front by double-digits with a late jumper, and Davenport scored the final four points of the half for the Vikings to send the team into halftime ahead, 39-28.

Play in the second half started with a dunk from Lewis to open scoring, and made baskets from Patrick and Davenport, along with a made three-pointer from Moss put the advantage at 48-32 with less than two minutes played.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy was held without a field goal for a nearly four-minute stretch, as Davenport, Ferrell, and Junior Cael Simpson (Gold Coast, Australia) each added baskets to increase the lead out to 56-37 near the 14-minute mark.  The advantage was cut down to 58-45 over the next two minutes, but Davenport sank three attempts from the free throw line to make it a 61-45 score moments later.  Davenport added four-straight points midway through the half to put the lead at 67-47.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy worked back into the game from there, outscoring MVC by an 11-2 margin over the next two minutes to trail, 69-58.  Patrick added a pair of free throws to help keep the margin at double-digits over the next stretch of play.  The Viking lead eventually shrank to single-digits near the four-minute mark, until a made jumper from Ferrell made it a 78-67 score.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy continued to work back, and trailed, 80-73, with less than two minutes remaining.  Ferrell came back with a made basket and Moss added two free throws to extend the lead to 84-75 with under one minute to play.  Missouri Valley held off UHSP late, as both Ferrell and Davenport added four free throws in the final seconds to secure an 89-79 win.

Davenport led with 33 points, on 9 of 18 shooting and 14 of 17 from the free throw line, to go with four rebounds.  Ferrell added 18 points, five rebounds, seven assists and five steals, while Moss had 17 points.  The Vikings forced 14 turnovers in the game and blocked four shots.  The team also went 30-37 from the free throw line.  The 30 made free throws and 37 free throw attempts is the most for the program since going 30-40 from the free throw line against Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) back on Nov. 9, 2021.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 1-0 on the season, while Health Sciences & Pharmacy drops to 0-2.  This win also opens the Jim Boone era for the men's basketball program, who now has 620 career wins.

Up next, the Viking men's basketball team will host Avila (Mo.) in a non-conference contest, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.