Box Score WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ. -- Mississippi Valley State did nearly everything right Friday night at Monmouth, but it all came down to the final shot. 

After MVSU's James Currington scored four straight points to tie the game at 79 with 7 seconds on the clock, Monmouth's Deon Jones raced down the court and scored the game-winning layup to defeat the Delta Devils, 81-79 in the Barclay Center Classic.  

Valley had total control through the first half, but Monmouth's Andrew Nicholas scored 23 second half points using five 3-pointers to capture the momentum and the victory. 

MVSU shot 51.7 percent in the first half and led 39-31, but a remarkable effort by the Hawks in the second half was too much for the Delta Devils. Monmouth outscored Valley 50-40 in the final 20 minutes. 

McDonald had a career-high 26 points -- including six 3-pointers -- while D'Angelo Priar added 11 points and five rebounds. James Currington chipped in 10 points and seven boards. 

Monmouth took advantage of 35 free throw attempts, making 21 of them. Nicholas had a career-best 31 points while Jones, who made the game-winning shot, added 24 points and a game-high eight rebounds. 

Valley beat the Hawks in the rebounding category 40 to 34 and had 15 assists. Jordan Washington led Valley with seven assists to go with seven rebounds and seven points. 

MVSU will play at 4:30 p.m. EST against Longwood University.