Men's Basketball Drops Road Game at Benedictine

Atchison, Kan., (Dec. 11, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Atchison, Kan., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Benedictine (Kan.), Wednesday evening.  The women's team fell by a final score of 77-54, while the men's team lost, 82-47.

Missouri Valley jumped out to an early lead in the men's game, using six points from Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) and field goals by both Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) and Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) to sit on top, 8-2, with more than three minutes played.  Benedictine responded with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to move in front, 14-10.  Junior Alan Davis, Jr. (Sacramento, Calif.), ended the MVC drought moments later with a basket, but the Ravens built up a lead from there, out to a 28-12 score with less than eight minutes to play in the half.  Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) added a three-pointer, and a field goal from Ajanaku cut the deficit to 31-17 near the six-minute mark.  The two teams struggled to put points on the scoreboard through the rest of the half, but Missouri Valley trailed at the break, 37-19.

The second half began with Benedictine adding to its advantage, out to 40-19, after two minutes of play.  Senior Dylan Driver (Covington, Ga.) put in the first field goal of the half for MVC, but the team eventually trailed, 51-23, near the 15-minute mark.  The Vikings were unable to cut into their deficit through the rest of play in the half, and eventually fell by a final score of 82-47.

Patterson, Ajanaku and Freshman James Porter (St. Louis, Mo.) each had eight points to lead the team.  The Vikings forced 15 turnovers in the game.

The men's team falls to 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the Heart, while Benedictine improves to 5-6 on the season and 4-3 in the conference.

Up next, the women's team will play NCAA Division II Rockhurst (Mo.) in an exhibition game, Saturday at 2 p.m., in Kansas City, Mo.  Both teams will be in action again, Tuesday, on the road in Dubuque, Iowa, against Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader.  Women's game starts at 1:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3:30 p.m.

Men's Box Score-Click Here 

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.