WASHINGTON – In a highly anticipated home opener the Gallaudet University men's basketball team showed their grit and strength against Messiah University in the Field House on Friday evening before a boisterous crowd of 327.

The Bison hung tough against the high-flying Falcons, who soared from 3-point range, and stayed within striking distance for the bulk of the game before Messiah pulled away with the 85-71 victory.

The loss spoiled the home debut for new Head Coach Sekoe White, '10, as Gallaudet's first Black men's basketball head coach since Adrian Walters led the program in 1991-92. Walters is now the Associate Head Coach for the Texas Tech University women's basketball program. Coach White, who is deaf, was back on the sidelines in the Field House leading the Bison program that he played for from 2004-09 and served as an assistant coach in 2023-24.

The Bison can pull a lot of positives out of Friday night's performance to help them move forward this season.

"As a coach, I couldn't be prouder of this team," said White. "The guys played hard, never backed down, and kept a winning mindset no matter what the scoreboard said."
 

Sophomore guard Jory Valencia (Riverside, Calif.) made a fastbreak layup at the 3:14 mark in the second half to cut the Messiah lead to four, 71-67. After a timeout, the Falcons scored the next nine points in a minute and a half and finished the game on a 14-4 run.

Valencia led all-scorers with 22 points as he made 10 of 17 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He tallied seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks. Sophomore guard Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.) finished with a double-double as he recorded career highs for points (17) and rebounds (14). Washington added two steals and two assists.

First-year forward Jayden Orsi-Pedersen (Frederick, Md.) was the third Bison in double figures with 12 points and four boards off the bench in 20 minutes played. Sophomore forward Wyatt Carlson (Hubertus, Wis.) played an inspired game in front of family that flew in to surprise him. Carlson finished with nine points, two rebounds and two blocks.

This was Gallaudet's first NCAA game of the 2025-26 season. The Bison are 0-1 in NCAA play and 0-2 overall for the year. Messiah (1-0) won the coaching debut for its new Head Coach Jacob Fleegle.

Gallaudet scored the first four points of the game in a blink of an eye. That lead didn't last long as the Falcons started to heat up from outside. Messiah made seven first-half 3-pointers and finished the game with 12. In contrast, Gallaudet only made four 3-pointers that all came in the first half. The Bison went 0-for-10 from outside in the second half.

The Bison got to within one point, twice, in the first half and kept the deficit margin to single digits for the first 14 minutes. Messiah took a 46-35 lead into halftime.

Messiah was led by Caleb Lyles' 22-point game to match Valencia. The Falcons had four of their starting five in double figures for points. Miles Longacre came off the bench to net 13 points for the visitors.

BISON TRACKS

• Both teams scored 46 points in the paint
• GU recorded 21 points off 18 Messiah turnovers
• Messiah received 26 points from its bench

UP NEXT
Gallaudet is off the next two weeks as the 2025 Deaflympics take place in Tokyo, Japan, as several Bison and alumni suit up for their home countries. GU's next game is Saturday, Nov. 22, at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., at 3 p.m. The game will be played at Gateway Christian School.