Men's Basketball Suffers Road Loss to Missouri Baptist

St. Louis, Mo, (Feb. 11, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to St. Louis, Mo., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Missouri Baptist, Wednesday evening. The Viking women's team fell late, 56-53, and the men's team lost, 82-64.

Missouri Valley got on the scoreboard at the start of the men's game on a three-pointer from Junior Kamari Slaughter (Gary, Ind.), and Junior Cael Simpson (Gold Coast, Australia) made a pair of free throws to help MVC move ahead, 5-2, with just over three minutes played.  Freshman Damario Moss (Lexington, Mo.) followed with a three-pointer, and moments later Simpson made a jumper to make it a 10-5 score near the 15-minute mark.  The two teams traded points through the next stretch of play, which included back-to-back jump shots from Junior Keanu Patrick (Biloxi, Miss.), but Missouri Baptist worked back to tie the teams at 14-14.  The Spartans outscored MVC by a 13-2 margin over the next three minutes to eventually take the lead, and make it a 27-16 score with nearly eight minutes remaining.  The Vikings responded with a layup and a free throw from Junior Devin Davenport (Milwaukee, Wisc.), and a three point shot from Moss to pull the team back to a 27-22 deficit, less than a minute later.  Missouri Baptist followed with an 8-2 run to extend the team's advantage.  Davenport added a three pointer near the four-minute mark, and just over two minutes later Senior Antwon Ferrell (Newman, Ga.) scored the next four points for the Vikings to close the gap down to 44-31.  Missouri Baptist added a basket before the break, and went into halftime on top, 47-33.

Scoring in the second half started with a free throw from Davenport, and a layup from Slaughter to bring the team into a 47-36 deficit.  Missouri Baptist limited MVC to only two made field goals over the next three minutes, and extended their advantage to 54-38.  Davenport scored four points through the next stretch, while Moss added a layup to make it a 66-48 score just past the 12-minute mark.  The Spartans maintained their double-digit advantage through the rest of the game, and Missouri Valley could not work back to a single-digit deficit, and fell by a final score of 82-64.

Davenport led with 21 points to go with six rebounds.  Moss had 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals.  Ferrell finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.  Missouri Valley forced 12 turnovers in the game.

Missouri Valley drops to 16-9 on the season and 10-7 in the conference.  Missouri Baptist improves to 16-9 overall and 10-7 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking basketball teams stay on the road, and travel to Canton, Mo., for a Heart doubleheader against Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Saturday.  Women's game at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 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.