MVSU Delta Devils win first game of Payne era

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The Mississippi Valley State men's basketball team won its first game under first-year head coach Andre Payne on Saturday in the final game of the Corpus Christi Challenge.

The Delta Devils beat North Carolina A&T, 66-63, behind a career-best performance from redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Washington, who had 20 points -- surpassing his 19-point performance against Tougaloo College last season. The Memphis native made 6-of-14 field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-point shots. He was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

DeAngelo Priar added 14 points and Jeffrey Simmons chipped in eight points off the bench.

Valley controlled the game for most of the first half, leading by as much as 11 points. By halftime, the Delta Devils had a controlling 38-29 advantage.

MVSU stretched its lead back to 11 in the second half before the Aggies cut the lead to just one point, 62-61, with 26 seconds remaining following a 3-point play by Steven Burrough.

With A&T forced to foul, Washington made all four free throws down the stretch to keep the Delta Devils ahead. The Aggies had a chance to send the game into overtime but missed two 3-point attempts in the final seconds.

Next up
The Delta Devils will be nearly 2,500 miles away from home on Wednesday when they travel to face Oregon State. The game will be broadcasted live on the Pac-12 Network at 7 p.m. CT.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION