Men's Basketball Has Late Rally Fall Short in Loss to Hannibal-LaGrange

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 7, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's basketball team played its first home game of the season Thursday night, welcoming in Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) for a non-conference contest inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings cut down a halftime deficit, but fell by a final score of 67-64.

The first five minutes of the contest featured Hannibal-LaGrange jumping in front, and putting MVC in a 9-1 deficit.  The first field goal of the game for the Vikings came from Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria), less than one minute later.  Senior Jace Lance (Marshall, Mo.) added a three-point play near the 12-minute mark to cut the gap to 11-7, and a field goal from HLGU was the only other points scored for a nearly four-minute stretch of play.  Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) broke the drought with a basket, but the Trojans followed with a 9-0 run to build up a double-digit advantage, 22-9, with six minutes to play in the half.  Junior Alan Davis, Jr. (Sacramento, Calif.), added the next three points for MVC, while Hannibal-LaGrange continued to build up its lead, out to 32-14 with three minutes remaining until the break.  Davis, Jr., answered with a three-point play, and a pair of Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) free throws made it a 32-19 score less than one minute later.  Both Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.) and Davis, Jr., sank a pair of free throws to put the gap at 34-23 near the final minutes of the half.  The Trojans came back and scored seven-straight points to increase their advantage.  Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) ended the half with a last-second field goal, but Missouri Valley trailed, 41-25 at halftime.

The second half started with both teams unable to create points early into play.  The first field goal in the half came more than three minutes after the break, as a jumper from Burnett cut the deficit to 41-28.  Hannibal-LaGrange added to its lead over the next minute, making it a 46-30 score.  Patterson followed up a missed shot with an offensive rebound and tip-in basket, but HLGU responded with a 7-0 run to hold its largest lead of the game, 53-32, less than seven minutes into the half.  The Vikings kept Hannibal-LaGrange scoreless over the next two minutes, but the only field goal of the stretch of play was a three-point basket from Smith to trim the deficit to 53-36.  Smith made another pair of three-point attempts, the second coming off a steal from Jones, just past the eight-minute mark, to bring the team back to a 57-44 score.  Missouri Valley continued to chip away, and used a pair of free throws from Lance and a three-point play by Ajanaku to trail, 61-49, as the game neared the final five minutes of regulation.  The Trojans still held a 66-51 lead at the two-minute mark, but MVC continued to work back, as Lance made a three-pointer and Burnett put in a layup after another steal from Jones.  Two made free throws from Lance dropped the deficit back to single-digits, and another three-point basket from Smith made it a 67-61 score as the clock reached one minute remaining.  After a defensive stop, Ajanaku came through with a three-point play to put the teams at 67-64.  Hannibal-LaGrange missed a shot on its ensuing possession, and MVC had one more chance to tie.  A last-second three pointer shot from Lance missed, and Missouri Valley fell, 67-64

Lance led with 16 points to go with three assists.  Smith had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Ajanaku added 10 points and five rebounds.  Missouri Valley forced Hannibal-LaGrange into 17 turnovers, and came down with 11 offensive rebounds.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 1-2 on the season, while Hannibal-LaGrange improves to 1-1.

Up next, the Viking men's basketball team opens play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, going to Baldwin City, Kan., for a contest with Baker, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.  The women's game precedes it, at 5:30 p.m.

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.