CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will look to bounce back from their first loss of the 2014-15 season when they host the University of West Georgia at 4:00 p.m. in A.E. Wood Coliseum on Saturday.
This will be the 20th all-time meeting between the two teams with MC holding a 15-4 edge in the series, dating back to their first contest in the 1984-85 season. After the Wolves took three of the first four meetings, MC would win the next 14 games between 1986-93. The two teams last played in 1994 when UWG picked up a 109-107 vicoty in overtime.
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 104-29 (.782) record at home, including a perfect mark in the 2005-06 season.
The Choctaws won their first two games of the season over Spring Hill and Belhaven before opening GSC play on Thursday night against West Alabama. The Tigers jumped out to an 11-point first half lead, but the Choctaws were able to come all the way back and take a 50-47 advantage with 10 minutes to play. UWA used a late run to clinch the 78-69 victory.
MC is shooting 46% from the field as a team and have forced nearly 20 turnovers per contest. They coaxed 24 turnovers out of UWA on Thursday night, but the Tigers were able to shooting 59% from the field.
Junior
Tory Rice led MC in scoring for the third time this season, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. Over the first three games of the season, the Choctaws have had a balanced attack that has seen at least four players score in double-figures in each contest. Juniors
Tristan Moore (13.3 ppg) and
Johnny Rucker (11.0 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures.
The Wolves have yet to lose over their first six games and have eclipsed the 100-point mark twice, scoring at least 87 points in all but one game this season. Their 94.0 ppg average leads the Gulf South Conference, while they give up 81.2 ppg, which ranks 9th out of 10 teams.
Sophomore Deonta Stocks is the team's leading scorer with 20.5 ppg. He is shooting 51% from the floor and 52% from the three-point line. Alex Abreu, a transfer from Akron, is scoring 17.3 ppg and is second on the team with 23 assists. Jovany Austin leads the squad with 7.0 rebounds per game to go along with 13.2 points per contest.
