Buena Vista, Va. — The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team opened USA South postseason play in impressive fashion, rallying for an 89–73 victory over No. 6 seed Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Squirrels jumped out to an early eight-point lead in the first five minutes, but the Knights quickly answered. DJ Green knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to two, and Tillman Johnson later trimmed the margin again. Mary Baldwin regained control midway through the half, building a 37–22 advantage with just over five minutes remaining before halftime.

From there, the momentum completely shifted.

Jude Ballstaedt ignited a 21–2 run to close the half, drilling three consecutive three-pointers to spark the comeback. Johnson added a pair of buckets during the surge, and a three-pointer from Matthew Hale capped the run as the Knights stormed into the locker room with a 43–39 lead. Ballstaedt poured in 19 first-half points, overcoming a hot shooting start from the Squirrels, who connected on 5-of-7 attempts (71.4%) from beyond the arc in the opening period.

Southern Virginia carried that energy into the second half. Austin Mitchell scored the first three points after the break, and Ballstaedt's defensive pressure led to multiple transition opportunities, including a fastbreak layup from Johnson that pushed the lead into double digits.

The Knights maintained control down the stretch by attacking the paint and capitalizing at the free-throw line. Southern Virginia went 29-of-35 (82.9%) from the stripe, including key makes in the final minutes. Ashton Davis provided a pivotal layup to extend the lead to 19 with five minutes remaining, and a deep three from Green put the game out of reach as the Knights secured the 89–73 win.

Ballstaedt led all scorers with 24 points, five steals, and a perfect 9-of-9 performance from the free-throw line. Johnson added 16 points and nine assists, narrowly missing a double-double. Green finished with 14 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range, while Davis also reached double figures.

As a team, the Knights shot 54.2% (26-of-48) from the field and 57.1% (8-of-14) from beyond the arc in the victory.

Southern Virginia now advances to face No. 2 seed N.C. Wesleyan University in the next round. The teams split their regular-season meetings, with each defending home court.

For the latest updates on Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_mbb on Instagram.