Houston, Tx.- Torico Simmons finished with a game high 27 points and eight rebounds in a conference loss against Texas Southern, at the Fertitta Center on the campus of University of Houston.

Both teams had poor shooting performances for the game. Texas Southern shot 35.1 percent from the field while The Devils shot 31 percent. 

Caleb Hunter shot 7-25 from the field with 18 points, and Quinton Alston shot three for nine with 11 points and three blocks.

The Devils only held the lead for :09 seconds of the entire game but still continued to fight for the entire 40 minutes.

A nine rebound, six block performance by Gebreal Samaha was huge for the Devils coming down the stretch. His defensive output helped Mississippi Valley close the lead to single digits late in the game.

Despite the efforts of the Devils, they never regained the lead.

Texas Southern had two players with great performances. Eden Ewing finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds while Justin Hopkins finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds.

The Devils will be back in action on Monday night as they travel to Prairie View for a conference game against the Panthers. Tip off set for 7:30, or 30 minutes following the completion of the Womens game.