HONOLULU – The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University were unable to claim an island win Sunday as they fell 76-51 to a tough Hawai'i team.
 
Emmanuel Ejeh came off the Valley bench to lead the Delta Devils with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kaleb Allison (pictured) scored 10 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
 
Drew Buggs scored 13 points to lead four Hawai'i players scoring double-figures Sunday. A member of the Big West Conference, Hawai'i improved to 6-4 with the win.
 
The Rainbow Warriors jumped out to an early 17-10 lead, but the Delta Devils responded by scoring five points in a row. Ejeh accounted for three points and Marcus Mitchell put away a jumper to cut the Hawai'i lead to two with 8:43 remaining in the first half.
 
Hawai'i reclaimed control of the game by outscoring Valley 17-2 over the next seven and a half minutes. Dante Scott ended that run by draining a 3-pointer – three of his nine points in the game.
 
Though they played from a deficit, the Delta Devils still fought hard in the second half. Early in the second period, Valley scored seven unanswered points to force a Hawai'i timeout.
 
Valley shot 35 percent (21 of 60) from the field during the game. The Rainbow Warriors shot 53 percent (28 of 53) from the floor, and made more than 50 percent of their shots in each half.
 
Fritz Lucien scored five points for the Delta Devils, while Lorenzo Hunt chipped in four points.
 
The Delta Devils return to action Saturday, Dec. 22, when they visit Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Mississippi).