Delta Devils defeat Southeastern Louisiana for season's first win

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University claimed their first win of the 2018-19 basketball season Tuesday by defeating Southeastern Louisiana 69-59.

MVSU's Dante Scott and Emmanuel Ejeh both posted double-doubles to lead five Delta Devils scoring in double-figures. Scott scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Ejeh scored 10 points and pulled in a game-high 16 rebounds.

Jordan Evans scored a team-high 17 points for Mississippi Valley State (1-5). Aleksa Koracin and Tereke Eckwood scored 10 points apiece for Valley.

Marlain Veal scored a game-high 21 points for Southeastern Louisiana, which fell to 2-4 with the loss.

The win over Southeastern Louisiana was Valley's first victory over a team from outside the Southwestern Athletic Conference since Nov. 29, 2014, when the Delta Devils defeated North Carolina A&T 66-63 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Valley's victory over the visiting Lions was also the team's first triumph over a Southland Conference opponent since Dec. 20, 2006, when the Delta Devils defeated Central Arkansas 66-51 at home.

The teams played fairly evenly for most of the game, with neither team able to build a lead of more than six points for the first 30 minutes of the contest. The Delta Devils finally pulled away from their guests by scoring 10 unanswered points between the 7:47 and 3:38 marks of the second period to stretch their lead to 57-45.

Southeastern Louisiana missed five consecutive shots and turned the ball over twice during Valley's run. Meanwhile, Koracin and Scott scored four points apiece as the Delta Devils began to pull away.

The Delta Devils helped their cause by shooting 88.2 percent (15 of 17) from the free throw line. Valley attempted all its free throws in the second half.

BOX SCORE

After shooting only 34 percent (11 of 32) from the field in the first half, the Delta Devils shot 47 percent (15 of 32) after halftime. The Lions managed to shoot only 36 percent (22 of 62) from the floor and 50 percent (7 of 14) from the free throw line.

The Delta Devils return to action Sunday when they visit Illinois Fighting Illini. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS