JACKSON, Miss. -- The Millsaps College men's basketball team closed out the final weekend of January by hosting the Vikings of Berry College in Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play.

The Majors jumped out to an early lead, and held off a furious Viking comeback attempt down the stretch to close out the 75-71 win. 

With the victory Millsaps improves to 13-7 overall and 5-4 in SAA play. Berry falls to 14-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play.

How It Happened
The Majors were hitting on all cylinders early on. It took just over four minutes for Anthony Hughes to give Millsaps a double-digit lead when he connected on a three-pointer.

They stretched that lead out to as many as 17 points when a Buck Blanz jumper put the Majors up 24-7 with 9:29 left to play in the opening half. 

Unfortunately, the Viking offense came to life over those final nine minutes. Berry used a 21-4 run to tie the game at 28-28, and actually carried a 33-32 lead to halftime. 

When Ryan McLaurin drilled a three-pointer to put Millsaps up 37-35 early in the second half, the Majors never trailed again. 

The second half was back-and-forth with Berry matching Millsaps for every basket until a quick 6-0 run from the Majors put them in control late. A Zachary Tullos layup gave Millsaps their largest lead of the half at 62-53 with 5:19 left to play in the game.

The Vikings got back to within a possession several times, but the Majors were able to hold on for the 75-71 win.

Notables
Hughes led the way with 20 points, while Spikes and McLaurin each added 13 for Mllsaps.

Today's 13th win of the season means that the Majors have now totaled the most wins in a single season since the 2007-2008 team finished 28-5. 

Justin Van Pelt pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds, and had 6 blocks on the defensive end of the floor.

What's Next?
Millsaps will be on the road this weekend with a trip to Sewanee and Centre. First up is Friday night's contest against the Tigers. Tip off is set for 8:00 p.m.