MARYVILLE, Tenn. - The Berry Vikings men's basketball team fell just short in a tough road matchup against Maryville College, losing 82-77.

This game was a flashback from last year when the two teams met up in Cage Arena for another close game where Maryville took the two-point advantage 85-83. The Vikings held strong today, battling in the paint and coming up with key offensive rebounds as the undersized team.

The Vikings came into this game wanting revenge on the favored CCS Champion, the Scots have won the past two Collegiate Conference of the South titles.

Berry started strong, building a seven-point lead midway through the first half thanks to standout plays by Braxton Benham, who dominated with 27 points overall, posting his new career best. However, a late surge by Maryville gave the home team a slim 37-34 advantage heading into the break.

Key factors in the Vikings' struggles included cold three-point shooting (20% in the first half) and missed opportunities at the free-throw line, only making two of their seven.

The Vikings rallied in the second half, with Benham leading the charge. Benham's consistency and backed by a huge three from Drew Winegarden after a media timeout halfway through the period brought the lead down for Canon Armstead to take the first lead of the half with a layup (56-55). Berry held the lead until right under the seven minute mark and were unable to obtain it again.

Isaac Martin also had a late three that only put the team down by a basket, but Berry couldn't overcome Maryville's efficiency. Maryville shot 57.7% from the field in the second half and made critical free throws to seal the game as Berry battled back.

The Vikings' effort in the paint (42 points) and second-chance opportunities (14 points) kept the game close, but Maryville's Reed Kemp, who scored 32 points took the home win.

Berry will return to action next Tuesday at Covenant College, tip-off set for 7:00 PM ET.