ITTA BENA, Miss. (Men's Basketball) – The band and fans were rocking inside the R. W. Harrison Complex in Itta Bena, Mississippi, during the Delta Devils and Panthers of Prairie View A & M spirited contest. Mississippi Valley dropped a tough contest 87-72.

It was a thrilling contest that began with the Panthers scoring the opening basket. Ta'Jay Henry scored the first points for Mississippi Valley, knotting the game at two. Henry's quick hands resulted in a steal and in the paint layup by Rashaan Surles, Kylan Phillips was credited with the assist. A brief run by the Panthers was thwarted with a basket from the Delta Devils' Darrell Riley. PVAMU landed a three-pointer and Riley returned the favor for MVSU, bringing the score to 9-9. Isaac Williams, who is swiftly approaching 1000 career points as a Delta Devil, scored a jumper after Phillips stole the ball.
With, 2:44 remaining in the half, the score was once again tied (30-30). Entering halftime, the score was 39-31 in favor of the Panthers.

After the break, the Panthers continued with the momentum behind them, scoring seven unanswered points, before Phillips was able to land a three-pointer to reawaken the Delta Devils' offense. Down by double-digits, Mississippi Valley's rally fell short of overtaking the Panthers' lead.

There were so many bright spots for the Delta Devils during the contest, despite the final score. TaJay Henry finished with a double-double of 21-points, 12 rebounds, two assists and one steal. Marcus Romain concluded the contest with 18-points, three rebounds and one assist; while Isaac Williams added 12-points, six rebounds and two assists. Darrell Riley pulled off several brilliant passes as he accumulated eight assists, 10-points, one rebound and one steal.

Mississippi Valley will be back in action again on Monday, January 23^rd at 8:05 p.m. when they host the Tigers of Texas Southern University. For fans unable to make it to the Harrison Complex, the game is being televised on ESPNU.