DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joe French poured in a game-high 31 points on Saturday evening, as Bethune-Cookman defeated Mississippi Valley State, 77-71 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Men's Basketball action inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
Trailing 39-31 at the half, Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Reggie Theus knew it would take patience to break down a relentless zone defense employed by the visitors.
 
A Rayquan Brown three-pointer right from the offset in the second period pushed Mississippi Valley State (2-17, 1-4 SWAC) out to a 41-31 lead.
 
Bethune-Cookman (6-11, 2-2 SWAC) would use Joe French and Kevin Davis in surging on a 15-5 run. Over the course of the Maroon and Gold rally, French – a 6-foot-5 junior guard from Orlando, Florida, poured in 11 points, while teammate Davis added five points (all from the free throw line).
 
The Wildcats would lead 47-45 following Davis' 1-of-2 effort at the foul line.
 
A back-and-forth affair ensued with the visiting Delta Devils using Tyronn Mosley and Kadar Waller to burst back to a 50-47 lead following the latter's three-pointer off a fast break rebound by Michael Barber.
 
BCU answered with a 5-0 run of its own behind Zion Harmon's floater in the paint, as well as another French three-pointer. The Masters Academy product would finish the night 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, as the hosts reclaimed the lead at 52-50 with 13:54 remaining in the second half.
 
Eight additional lead changes would occur between the two sides as the Delta Devils held a 62-57 advantage with 8:07 remaining, after Brown's layup off the put-back from a Mosley missed jumper.
 
With the game tied at 68-all and 3:39 left, Harmon connected for two of his nine points in the game on a jumper just inside the left elbow, before Mississippi Valley's Terry Collins rose up for a three-pointer from the right side to give his side a 71-70 edge.
 
French would answer in kind with a three-pointer of his own to give BCU the 73-71 lead, as he toed the line for a pair of free throws with 54 seconds left, connecting on both attempts, and extending the Wildcats lead, 75-71.
 
BCU's Marcus Garrett would get in on the action with two free throws late, sending the game to its 77-71 final.
 
The first half was much of the same with numerous lead changes, as the Delta Devils used Collins and Alvin Stredic for much of the Mississippi Valley scoring.
 
BCU led 22-20 following Davis' dunk off the pass from James Henderson Jr. But that was followed by Ernest Minton and Waller combining for baskets, allowing the visitors a 26-22 lead.
 
MVSU closed the half on a 5-0 run with scoring coming from Stredic and Waller.
 
The Delta Devils shot 43.7 percent from the floor on the night, but were limited to just a 39.4 percent mark in the second half. They were paced in scoring by four players in double-figures. Brown led his side with a double-double performance of 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Collins added 11 points and seven boards. Stredic contributed with 11 points and two assists, while it was Mosley adding 10 points off the bench.
 
The Maroon and Gold registered a 51.9 percent shooting touch from the field, including a 65.2 percent effort in the second half. The Cats produced a 44 percent touch from long range on 11-of-25 shooting beyond the arc.
 
Bethune-Cookman was led by French's season-best 31-point outburst on 11-of-19 shooting from the field overall. Davis put in 14 points and nine rebounds, while Dhashon Dyson had 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Cats.
 
The Wildcats return home Monday, Jan. 16, for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration contest against SWAC opponent Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with the Golden Lions visiting Historic Moore Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
 
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