Men's Basketball Pulls Away From Grand View at Home

Marshall, Mo., (Jan. 2, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's basketball teams opened the new year with a home Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Grand View (Iowa).  The women's team held off Grand View for a 74-66 win, while the men's team built up a lead and pulled away for an 88-75 victory.

The men's game started with Grand View going on top early, out to an 11-6 score with just over four minutes played.  Senior Cawhan Smith (Collinsville, Ill.) scored the next five points for Missouri Valley, while a three-point play from Senior Dylan Driver (Covington, Ga.) tied the teams at 14-14 one minute later.  Another three-point play, this time from Junior Alan Davis, Jr. (Sacramento, Calif.) put MVC in front, 17-14, at the 14-minute mark.  Senior Keenan Jones (Chicago, Ill.) added a steal and fast-break layup, while Smith made a jumper and Driver registered a steal and made jumper to cap a 12-0 run and give Missouri Valley a 23-14 lead with just over seven minutes played.  A three-pointer from Senior Geovonni Floyd (Bowling Green, Ky.) gave MVC its first double-digit lead of the game, 26-16, but Grand View worked down its deficit to 26-22 midway through the first half.  The next two minutes featured GVU extending its run, which eventually reached a 13-2 margin, as Missouri Valley trailed, 29-28, with just over eight minutes remaining until the break.  Senior Jarrius Burnett (Warrenton, Ga.) ended the MVC drought with a three-pointer moments later, while Freshman James Porter (St. Louis, Mo.) added a layup to give Missouri Valley a 33-29 advantage near the six-minute mark.  The lead continued to grow over the next several minutes, as four points by both Smith and Floyd made it a 41-31 score with just over three minutes remaining.  Jones added a pair of free throws, then sank a late three-pointer.  Scoring in the half was closed on a late jumper from Smith, and MVC went into halftime in front, 50-38.

Missouri Valley gradually built up its lead in the early minutes of play in the second half, which featured baskets from Senior David Ajanaku (Ondo, Nigeria) and Senior J'Luan Patterson (Belleville, Ill.), along with a three-pointer from Jones and a pair of Burnett free throws to give the team a 59-42 advantage.  Grand View gradually worked down its deficit over the next stretch, trailing by a 61-55 score just past the 14-minute mark.  The score sat at 63-58 after more than eight minutes of play in the half.  Porter responded with two-straight layups, while Patterson added a three-pointer to give MVC a double-digit lead again, 70-58, midway through the half.  Missouri Valley maintained its advantage through the next stretch of play, which featured a steal from Smith and a fast-break dunk by Floyd to make it a 77-63 score at the seven-minute mark.  The teams traded points in the final minutes of the game.  Driver had the final field goal of the contest for MVC with just over four minutes remaining, and Jones made a pair of free throws to finish out an 88-75 win.

Smith had 15 points and six assists, while Jones added 15 points.  Floyd came off the bench to register 13 points and seven rebounds, while Burnett scored 10 points.  Missouri Valley finished shooting 53-percent from the floor and held a 34-28 advantage in rebounds.

Missouri Valley improves to 4-10 on the season and 3-7 in the conference.  Grand View falls to 5-8 overall and 3-6 in the Heart.

Due to expected inclement weather, Saturday's scheduled road doubleheader at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) has been postponed to Feb. 3.  The teams will next play on Jan. 8, hosting Park (Mo.), in a Heart doubleheader.  Women's game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

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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.