CLINTON, Miss. --- Junior Stacey Mack scored 15 points with 16 rebounds as the Mississippi College men's basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with a 73-71 victory over Auburn Montgomery on Tuesday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

KEY STATS
- The Choctaws had four players score in double-figures, led by Mack's 15 points. Senior DeOndre Haynes (13), junior Otis Harvey (12) and freshman Brandon Boston (10) also turned the trick.
- The double-double was Mack's 6th of his career, and the Choctaws are now 5-1 when he completes the feat.
- The Choctaws shot 48% (12-of-25) from the field in the second half, also going 6-of-12 from the three-point line after shooting just 33% from the field and going 2-of-12 from long range in the first 20 minutes.
- MC had 17 assists on 21 field goals, led by Haynes with five helpers and Johnson with four. Haynes also led the team with three steals.
- The Choctaws were 23-of-30 (77%) from the foul line with Mack nailing a free throw in the final seconds to clinch the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws jumped out to a quick 16-6 lead after Boston knocked down a jumper with 11:54 to go in the first half.
- After MC went ahead 25-17 with 7:49 remaining, the Warhawks (0-3) went on a 21-0 run over the next six minutes to grab a 38-25 advantage.
- The Choctaws would go nearly 13 minutes without a field goal before Johnson made one of his three three-pointers with 14:17 remaining in the second half.
- MC went on an 18-2 run of their own in the second half to grab a lead they would not relinquish.
- The Warhawks would get as close as 58-56 with 6:03 remaining, but the Choctaws would hold on for the season-opening victory.

GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws are now 19-2 in their last 21 season-openers.
- Head coach Don Lofton won his 198th career game in his 13th season at the helm.
- MC is now 2-0 all-time against Auburn Montgomery following an 82-71 win on November 26, 1994.

NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will host Spring Hill College on Saturday (Nov. 26) at 4:00 p.m. in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.