Men's Basketball Comeback Falls Short at Clarke

Dubuque, Iowa, (Dec. 17, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams traveled to Dubuque, Iowa for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Clarke (Iowa), Tuesday afternoon.  The women's team built up an early lead, and finished with a 71-60 victory.  The men's team fell short in a second-half comeback, 92-85.

The men's game began with an early layup from Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) and three-point basket from Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) to put the Vikings in front, 5-3, with less than two minutes played.  Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) added a jumper two minutes later, and a layup from Junior Alan Davis, Jr. (Sacramento, Calif.) put MVC on top, 9-8, near the 15-minute mark.  The two teams traded points over the next several minutes, with a layup from Senior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) giving Missouri Valley a 13-12 lead with just over seven minutes played in the game.  Clarke responded with a run through the midway point of the half, outscoring the Vikings by an 11-2 margin to move ahead, 23-15.  Jones ended the MVC drought with a layup, then Patterson added a jump shot to cut the team's deficit down to 25-19 with eight minutes remaining in the half.  An offensive rebound and put-back from Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) kept Missouri Valley within a 30-24 score near the five-minute mark.  The Pride put together another run, this time at a 12-0 margin to sit on top 42-24late in the half.  Jones worked down the gap in the final minute of play, on a pair of free throws and a three-pointer.  The Vikings went into halftime trailing, 45-29.

Clarke added to its lead at the start of the second half, holding a 54-31 advantage with two minutes played.  Jones responded with two three-pointers to close the gap down to 54-37 just over one minute later.  Jones scored the next eight points for MVC, and a three-pointer from Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) closed the deficit down to 58-48 just past the 14-minute mark.  Another three-pointer, this time from Burnett, four points scored from Smith, and a layup from Patterson got the Vikings within a 61-57 score with just over eight minutes played in the half.  The Pride responded with the next five points to stay in front, 66-57 midway through the second half.  The two teams traded points over the next minute of play, while a three-pointer from Junior Darian Webb (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) made it a 70-64 score at the nine-minute mark.  Clarke moved back to a double-digit lead, 74-64, with just over six minutes remaining in the game.  Missouri Valley began to chip away at its deficit from there, as Smith scored six-straight points and Burnett added a jumper to put the gap at 76-74 in the final five minutes of play.  Jones got MVC to within a 79-78 score just past the three-minute mark, while Clarke jumped back out to an 83-78 lead with just over one minute left on the clock.  The Pride stayed on top in the final stretch, eventually at 90-81.  A jumper from Smith and a late tip-in by Patterson cut the deficit down to five points in the closing moments, but the Vikings fell, 92-85.

Jones led with a career-high 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the floor.  Smith added a career-high 21 points to go with six assists.  Both Patterson and Burnett had nine points and six rebounds apiece.  Missouri Valley held a 36-34 edge in rebounds and forced 11 turnovers.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 3-10 overall and 2-7 in the Heart.  Clarke improves to 2-9 on the season and 2-5 in the conference.

Up next, the women's basketball team hosts Central Christian of the Bible (Kan.) in a non-conference game, Thursday at 3 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Both teams will be in action again, Jan. 2, with a home doubleheader against Grand View (Iowa).  Free Admission for both Thursday's game and the doubleheader Jan. 2.

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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.