BATON ROUGE, La. — The Mississippi Valley State University men’s basketball team took a 65-62 lead with 7:16 remaining in the second half but then went scoreless for nearly six minutes. During that stretch, the Southern Jaguars went on a 13-0 run and pulled away for an 80-69 victory, according to the game box score.
The Jaguars improved to 8-12 overall and 4-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Delta Devils fell to 1-20 overall and 0-7 in league play. The game was held at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in Baton Rouge.
Southern leads the all-time series since 1983, 52-33, and has won eight consecutive meetings. The last time Mississippi Valley State defeated Southern was on Feb. 18, 2019, when the Delta Devils won 70-59.
Daniel Mayfield led Mississippi Valley State with a double-double — 18 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, including 10 in the first half. Michael James scored 23 points, playing all 40 minutes. Xzayvion Childress contributed 16 points and a team-best five assists, shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from three-point range. X’Zaevion Barnett added seven points and six rebounds for the Delta Devils.
Mississippi Valley State’s campus is closed for the rest of the week, but Saturday’s doubleheader against Arkansas-Pine Bluff remains scheduled, with game times moved up to 1 and 3 p.m. Fans can follow the team on social media at @MSValleyMBB and @MVSUDevilSports.
