JACKSON, Miss. — The Millsaps College men's basketball team secured a 78-64 triumph over Berry College, on Thursday night inside the Hangar Dome.
Millsaps (14-10, 5-8 SAA) overcame a one-point halftime deficit by surging past Berry (9-15, 5-8 SAA), 46-31 in the second half.
The Majors team capitalized on 12 steals and scored 18 points off turnovers, while also dominating with 46 points inside the paint.
Berry managed to keep the game close early with eight 3-pointers but fell short in the final stretch.
Junior Cameron Lumar tallied a gritty 14 points, and recorded two steals.
Junior David Combest Jr. scored 15 points, making 9-of-10 free throws and grabbed 10 rebounds on the night for the double-double.
Classmate Jaxon Toney was perfect from the field, scoring 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, while adding five rebounds, one block, an assist, and a steal.
Junior Davion James added 12 points and matched Lumar with two steals, also collecting four rebounds and an assist.
The first half opened with Millsaps quickly taking the lead with two free throws by Combest Jr.
The Vikings responded strongly, pulling ahead by nine points through a series of successful jump shots and 3-pointers with 6:16 remaining on the first-half clock.
The Majors narrowed the gap with a strong jumper by James just before the buzzer, ending the half trailing, 33-32.
Millsaps surged ahead in the second half, seizing momentum with a 10-2 run early on, capped by a layup from junior Rodney Phillips Jr. at 17:02 and a Lumar jumper a minute later.
Toney expanded the advantage to 44-38 with a nifty, spinning layup.
With 7:52 remaining in the contest, Phillps Jr. found a cutting Lumar on a nifty pass for a finishing touch at the basket.
The Majors kept the Vikings at bay and got the crowd on their feet when junior Colt Donley found Toney for an alley-oop, which Toney dunked home to make it 67-58 with 3:33 remaining.
Kent was successful with a layup and Toney nailed a free-throw line jumper on the ensuing offensive possession to ice the game away.
Millsaps wraps up the regular season by hosting Oglethorpe University for Senior Day on Saturday. Festivities are slated to begin following the women's game, and minutes before the men's contest, which is slated for a 2 p.m. start. Live video and live stats will be provided at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College men's basketball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
