The Mississippi Valley State men’s basketball team nearly erased a double-digit deficit against Alabama State, but the Delta Devils’ quest for their first win of the season once again came up empty in Monday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference opener.
Robert Carpenter (23 points, six rebounds) and Caleb Hunter (12 points) knocked down four 3-pointers apiece to help MVSU pull within one possession of the Hornets late. The Delta Devils couldn’t get stops when it mattered most, though, as Alabama State escaped Itta Bena with an 84-75 victory.
“We need to learn to finish games and not have such a slow start,” MVSU head coach Lindsey Hunter said. “You can’t have slow starts at home and put yourself down in a deficit that bad and have to fight your way back. The closer you get to the end of the game, you have to play perfect. We didn’t play perfect at the end to get the win. It’s just tough with a young team, we’re still trying to learn how to start the team the way we got into the game.”
The Delta Devils (0-11, 0-1 SWAC) trailed 38-28 at halftime after shooting just 34% in the first half, but they found their offensive groove in the second half with 47 points on 55% shooting. David McCoy added clutch buckets in the fourth quarter to keep the Delta Devils within reach, finishing with 10 points, six boards and a team-best five assists.
Hornets forward Kenny Strawbridge had a career-night for a shorthanded Alabama State squad operating with only eight guys. Strawbridge poured in a game-high 27 points on efficient 11-of-16 shooting, including four 3-pointers. The Hornets (2-11, 1-0) had dropped 15 road matchups in a row before Monday’s win snapped their losing streak away from home.
The Delta Devils return to action Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Alabama A&M in Itta Bena.
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
