Box Score Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Brandon Fortenberry scored a game-high 18 points to lead four players in double figures and Southeastern Louisiana University got a solid effort on both ends of the floor as it recorded a 76-60 win over Mississippi Valley State in the consolation game of the USM Hardwood Club Holiday Classic on Thursday at Reed Green Coliseum.
Trent Hutchin added 15 points for Southeastern (6-5) while
Deshawn Patterson added 12 and
Gary Dixon 11. The Lions led by as many as 27 points and never trailed in defeating MVSU (1-12) for the first time since a 76-67 victory on Nov. 26, 1984.
Jason Marks opened a 26-6 spurt for Southeastern with a basket that snapped a 10-10 tie and capped it with a jumper that gave the Lions a 36-16 advantage with 2:15 left in the first half. Southeastern built a 41-21 lead at halftime as it went 13-for-25 from the floor (52 percent) in the opening half while holding the Delta Devils to a frigid 9-for-31 (29 percent).
Fortenberry, who scored 13 points in the first half, went 5-for-7 from the floor and was perfect in three attempts from beyond the arc as Southeastern sank eight 3-pointers, including 5-for-9 in the first half.
Southeastern took its biggest lead of the game, 60-33, on a 3-pointer by Hutchin, who scored in double figures for the first time since a 10-point effort against Southern on Dec. 11.
A bucket by MVSU's Cor-J Cox with 7:15 remaining in the game cut the lead to 63-41, but the Delta Devils failed to make a basket for the next 6:28 before Terrence Joyner buried a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left.
Southeastern limited a bigger MVSU squad to 20-for-60 (33.3 percent) from the floor for the game and 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) from behind the 3-point line. The Lions held a 39-31 advantage on the glass with
Roosevelt Johnson pulling down a team-high seven and added eight blocked shots with
David Ndoumba swatting three with Patterson and Johnson recording two each.
Cox, Paul Crosby and D'Angelo Jackson scored 13 points each to lead the Delta Devils while Cox pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Southeastern will close out its seven-game road trip on Sunday when it battles Ole Miss in its final non-conference game of the season. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (1-12)
Jackson 4-10 3-6 13; Crosby 3-9 7-10 13; Cox 5-11 3-6 13; Joyner 3-10 1-1 9; J. Holmes 3-6 1-2 7; M. Holmes 2-5 0-0 5; Burwell 0-5 0-2 0; Smith 0-4 0-0 0; Studivant 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 20-60 15-27 60.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (6-5)
Fortenberry 5-7 5-9 18; Hutchin 5-11 2-2 15; Patterson 3-3 5-7 12; Dixon 5-8 0-0 11; Marks 3-5 2-2 8; Ndoumba 2-5 3-3 7; Campbell 1-2 0-0 2; Lockett 1-2 0-0 2; Johnson 0-1 1-2 1; Harrel 0-1 0-0 0; Curtis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-45 18-25 76.
Halftime – SLU 41, MVSU 21. 3-point goals – MVSU 5-21 (Jackson 2-7; Joyner 2-6; M. Holmes 1-2; J. Holmes 0-1; Burwell 0-4; Cox 0-1), SLU 8-16 (Hutchin 3-8; Fortenberry 3-3; Dixon 1-4; Patterson 1-1). Fouled out - Jackson. Rebounds – MVSU 31 (Cox 9), SLU 39 (Johnson 7). Assists – MVSU 8 (Burwell 4), SLU 15 (Fortenberry, Patterson 4). Total fouls – MVSU 23, SLU 21. Technical fouls - None. A – TBA.
