Men's Basketball Pulls Away From Missouri Baptist in Home Win

Marshall, Mo. (Jan. 28, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams welcomed in Missouri Baptist for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Wednesday evening, inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings fell in the women's game, 65-63.  The men's team pulled away in the second half for an 80-60 victory.

The two teams traded points at the start of the men's game.  Freshman Damario Moss (Lexington, Mo.) put in the first basket for Missouri Valley, followed by a pair of made free throws from both Senior Antwon Ferrell (Newman, Ga.) and Junior Devin Davenport (Milwaukee, Wisc.) to put the team in a 7-6 deficit with four minutes played.  The first lead of the contest for MVC came near the 14-minute mark, as Ferrell sank a three-pointer to make it a 10-9 score.  The Vikings gradually added to their advantage, as Davenport sank two free throws, Sophomore Darrin Thompson (Huntsville, Ala.) put in a fast-break layup, off a Junior Kamari Slaughter (Gary, Ind.) steal, and Slaughter closed the stretch with a three-point basket to give the team a 17-10 lead with just over eight minutes gone in the game.  The team moved to a 24-15 advantage near the nine-minute mark, after a three-pointer by Moss and a layup from Thompson.  Missouri Baptist scored five-straight points, and closed its deficit down to 24-20 just over two minutes later.  Junior Keanu Patrick (Biloxi, Miss.) came down with an offensive rebound and put-back dunk, Davenport made two-straight three-pointers, while both Moss and Slaughter added a pair of free throws each to help with a 12-0 run and make it a 36-20 score with less than five minutes to play in the half.  The Spartans chipped away at their deficit over the final few minutes, and outscored MVC by a 14-4 margin to make it a 40-34 contest at halftime.

Missouri Valley held MBU scoreless through more than four minutes of play to start the second half, forcing two turnovers.  A Davenport steal led to a Slaughter fast-break layup, then Davenport added a three-point shot to put the lead at 45-34.  After Missouri Baptist worked its deficit down to single-digits, Moss put in a pair of free throws, while both Davenport and Ferrell added a basket each to increase the advantage to 51-37 near the 13-minute mark.  The Spartans chipped the gap down to single digits one more time in the game, with just over 11-minutes remaining, at a 53-44 score.  Ferrell answered quickly with a three-pointer, while a Junior Cael Simpson (Gold Coast, Australia) free throw and a three-pointer from Moss kept the team on top, 60-46, midway through the half.  Missouri Valley began to pull away in the next stretch, outscoring MBU by an 8-0 margin over the next few minutes.  Moss made a jumper, Ferrell added two free throws, Simpson came down with an offensive rebounds and layup, and Davenport closed the run with a dunk as the gap grew to 68-49 with just over seven minutes to play.  A Thompson three-pointer two minutes later gave the team its largest lead, 74-52, and late free throws from Ferrell and Thompson helped finish out an 80-59 victory.

Davenport led with 23 points, while Ferrell had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists.  Moss added 16 points and seven rebounds.  Missouri Valley finished with a 40-38 edge in rebounds and forced 13 turnovers in the game, while holding the Spartans to 32-percent shooting from the floor.

Missouri Valley improves to 15-6 overall and 9-4 in the conference.  Missouri Baptist drops to 14-7 on the season and 8-5 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking men's and women's basketball teams will travel to Dubuque, Iowa, for a Heart doubleheader with Clarke (Iowa), Saturday afternoon.  Women's game starts at 12 p.m., followed by the men's game at 2 p.m.

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.