CARROLLTON, Ga. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team begins the second half of their Gulf South Conference schedule on Thursday night when they travel to face the University of West Georgia in The Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. (Central).
This will be the 21st all-time meeting between the two schools, dating back to the first meeting in the 1989-90 season. The Choctaws won 14 straight in the series from 1986-93, but the Wolves have won the last two contests, including the meeting earlier this season on December 6th.
Johnny Rucker scored a season-high 26 points, while
Tory Rice had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for MC. Alex Abreu went 7-of-11 from the three-point line and scored a game-high 31 points for the Wolves.
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 108-32 (.771) record at home, including a perfect mark in the 2005-06 season.
On Saturday, the Choctaws erased a 13-point second half deficit, taking a 60-59 lead with 8:13 remaining against rival Delta State. The Statesmen answered with an 18-6 run in the final eight minutes to pick up a 77-66 victory in the first meeting between the school since 1996. Rice tallied his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds for MC, while Devin Schmidt led DSU with 24 points, scoring just two in the second half.
The Statesmen shot 62% (26-of-42) from the field in the victory over MC, the highest field goal percentage the Choctaws have allowed this year. The MC defense has been the key to their success this season, going 7-0 when opponents shoot less than 50% in a game and 0-6 when opponents go over 50%. The Choctaws are also 3-0 when they hold opponents to fewer than 70 points in a game.
Rice leads the Choctaws with 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, shooting 59% from the field. Rucker is also averaging in double-figures with 12.2 points per game. Junior
Tristan Moore has a team-high 59 assists to go along with 10.2 points per game, while senior
Rayner Fredrick has a team-high 30 steals and is shooting 54% from the floor.
Head coach Michael Cooney led the Wolves to a 7-0 start this season, concluding with the victory over the Choctaws on December 6th. They had won three straight games before a 73-71 loss to West Alabama on Saturday that saw the Tigers nail a three-pointer with just six seconds left to clinch the win. The Wolves were playing without the GSC's leading scorer in Deonta Stocks (20.3 ppg).
The Wolves have four players averaging in double-figures, and senior Alex Abreu is just behind Stocks with 16.9 points per game. Abreu is 46-of-94 (.489) from the three-point line and is shooting 86% from the free throw line while leading the team with 64 assists. Marcus Dortch (10.5 ppg) and Jovany Austin (10.3 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures, while Austin is the team's leading rebounder at 5.4 boards per game and shooting 54% from the floor.
