Buena Vista, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team returned to action in impressive fashion, earning an 88–70 victory to improve to 12–7 overall and 8–1 in USA South Conference play.

The Knights set the tone early with a sharp first half, as Austin Mitchell sparked the offense by scoring six of Southern Virginia's first eight points, giving the Knights an early 8–5 advantage. A Hyrum McConkie layup and a Tillman Johnson three-pointer stretched the lead to nine before the Pride responded, trimming the margin to three at 26–23.

Southern Virginia quickly regained control, closing the half on a 15–4 run. Mason Hunter and DJ Green knocked down timely three-pointers, while Johnson finished strong at the rim with a pair of layups to send the Knights into halftime ahead 47–35.

Mitchell led the Knights at the break with 10 points, followed by Johnson with nine and Hunter with eight.

The Knights were efficient offensively in the first half, shooting 50.0% (17–34) from the field, 41.7% (5–12) from three-point range, and 72.7% (8–11) from the free-throw line. Defensively, Southern Virginia limited the Pride to just 1–8 from beyond the arc, holding a team that entered the game ranked third in the conference in three-point percentage (34.5%).

The Pride cut the deficit to seven early in the second half, but Southern Virginia's physicality took over. Johnson scored five straight points, followed by a Green jumper to push the lead back to 14. Jude Ballstaedt then went on a personal seven-point run, attacking the basket to extend the advantage to 19 points.

From there, the Knights controlled the game with strong play in the paint and consistent trips to the free-throw line, closing out the 88–70 win.

Johnson led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 8–11 from the field while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Ballstaedt, Mitchell, Hunter, and Green all finished in double figures, with Mitchell also pulling down eight rebounds.

Southern Virginia now turns its attention to a pivotal matchup against Pfeiffer University, the only conference team to defeat the Knights this season. Riding a six-game winning streak, Southern Virginia will look to even the season series in a clash of top conference teams at Knight Arena on Saturday, February 7, at 2:00 PM.

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