HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team opens 2015 on the road when they travel to face the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Saturday, January 3rd. Tip-off at Spragins Hall is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
This will be the 5th all-time meeting between the two schools, dating back to their first game in the 1972-73 season when MC won, 82-70. The Choctaws are 4-0 all-time against the Chargers with their last meeting coming in 1996-97, a 71-60 victory.
Head coach
Don Lofton is in his 11th season at the helm, winning his first two games of the season for his 180th career victory. Lofton has compiled a 107-30 (.781) record at home, including a perfect mark in the 2005-06 season.
The Choctaws are coming off their second straight Gulf South Conference victory with a 72-66 win over Valdosta State at home. The game saw 23 lead changes and six ties as the hotly-contested matchup was tied 66-66 with just over a minute remaining. Just like in the first half, MC went on a 6-0 run to close out the period and pull off the victory.
Tory Rice led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, while
Emmanuel Ezejiofo had 17 points and seven boards.
Tristan Moore had a season-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with four assists. Senior
Rayner Fredrick had a team-high five assists and scored the eventual game-winning bucket on a tip-in after a contested layup by Moore. Frederick would also hit two free throws to clinch the victory in the final seconds.
The Choctaw defense has been the key to their success this season as they are 4-0 when teams shoot below 50% for the game and 0-4 when they go over that mark. They have also been good closing out games this season as they are 4-0 when leading with five minutes remaining.
The Chargers are led by head coach Lennie Acuff in his 18th season at the helm after head coaching stops at Berry College and at Belhaven. UAH was ranked #20 in the most recent poll after a 9-1 start, but they have dropped two straight games with losses on the road to Shorter (85-70) and Lee (81-62).
UAH relies heavily on the three-pointer as they are 119-of-306 (.389) from long range, taking 203 more deep shots than the Choctaws. Seab Webster leads the squad with 15.3 points per game, while Preston Herring has a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game to go along with 11.8 points per contest. Ronnie Mack also averages in double-figures with 13.3 ppg, taking 111 3-pointers on the season.
