ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State University men's basketball program returned to the win column in dramatic fashion, picking off the Tigers' inbound pass down one with 7.5 seconds remaining and laying it in just before the clock hit zeroes as the Delta Devils upended Texas Southern by a final score of 72-71, in an all-time thriller that witnessed 20 lead changes.
 
The Basics:
 

• Score
  • Mississippi Valley – 72
  • Texas Southern – 71

 

• Records
  • Mississippi Valley (2-26, 1-13 SWAC)
  • Texas Southern (10-16, 8-7 SWAC)

 

• Location
  • Itta Bena, Mississippi – R.W. Harrison HPER Complex

 

• Series History (Since 1983-84)
  • Tigers Lead 58-42 (42%)

 

• Winning Streak (Since 1983-84)
  • Delta Devils (W1) / Tigers' Last Win: January 12, 2026 (84-51)

 
Delta Devils' Top Performers:
 

• Michael James was the hero as the club's superstar stepped up in the clutch when he was needed the most, picking the pocket of the TSU player and putting the last of his 24 points on the scoreboard.
  • His final stat line read: 8-of-19 (42.1%) for 24 points with four assists, two steals, two rebounds, and playing the role of Iron Man as he spent all 40 minutes on the court.

 

• The only senior student-athlete able to dress on Senior Day, Daniel Mayfield scored 17 via 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the field, leading MVSU on the boards (7) and swiping a pair of takeaways.

 

• Xzayvion Childress executed his role of floor general to a T, setting up a contest-best five easy buckets in addition to producing 11 points of his own, grabbing five rebounds and shooting 4-of-6 (66.7%) on the night.

 

• Patrick Punch was the fourth Devil to reach double digits, tallying ten points alongside a pair of boards, steals, and dimes apiece.

 
Next:
  

• In order to start stacking wins together, the Green and White will take its show on the road for the remainder of the regular season as its final four matchups take place away from Itta Bena, first up on the list is the makeup game at Grambling State with tip slated for 7:30 p.m. on Monday evening.

   
Follow the Mississippi Valley State men's basketball program on Twitter / X (@MSValleyMBB) and Instagram (@MSValleyStateMBB).
 
Follow the Delta Devils / Devilettes on Facebook (Valley State Athletics), Twitter / X (@MVSUDevilSports), and Instagram (@ValleyStateAthletics).