CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will take their first Gulf South Conference road trip this weekend, beginning with a Thursday night contest against Union in Jackson, Tenn. Tip-off at Fred DeLay Gymnaisum is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
This will be the 6th all-time meeting between the two schools but the first since they played in the 1975-76 season with Union winning, 81-78. The Choctaws swept two meetings in the 1954-55 season, while the teams split games in the 1962-63 season. MC is in their transition year to the GSC, while Union is in their first season as a full-fledged member of the conference.
Head coach
Don Lofton enters his 11th season at the helm, winning his first two games of the season for his 180th career victory. Lofton has compiled a 104-30 (.776) record at home, including a perfect mark in the 2005-06 season.
The Choctaws are coming off a couple of conference losses last weekend against West Alabama and West Georgia. Against UWA, MC erased an 11-point halftime lead and took a three-point advantage before the Tigers pulled away for the 78-69 win. In the game against UWG, the Choctaws trailed by 10 at halftime but cut the lead to 77-76 before the Wolves clinched the win.
Junior
Johnny Rucker scored an MC season-high 26 points in the loss to West Georgia, going 9-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. Junior
Tory Rice recorded his third double-double in four games with season-highs in points (22) and rebounds (15) against the Wolves. Junior
Tristan Moore also had a season-high with eight assists in the game.
On the season, the Choctaws are shooting 47% from the field, led by Rice with a 63% clip. He is averaging 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Rucker (14.8 ppg) and Moore (10.5 ppg) are also averaging in double-figures, while senior
Rayner Fredrick has a team-high 13 steals on the season.
The Bulldogs are led by head coach David Niven, who is in his 6th season at the helm and 18th overall year with the program. Niven won 100th career game in the victory over Shorter on Thursday night. Union opened the year with seven straight wins before a 78-71 loss at Lee (Tenn.) on Saturday.
Corieon Pearson leads the team with 19.6 ppg, shooting 53% from the field with a team-high 4.9 assists per contest. Pearson scored a season-high 28 points in Union's last game against Lee. Three other Bulldogs are scoring in double-figures, including Jordan Montgomery (16.6 ppg), Marterrace Brock (15.4 ppg) and Ashanti Day (14.1 ppg), who leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game.
