CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will open up Gulf South Conference play on Thursday night when they host rival Delta State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at A.E. Wood Coliseum.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Delta State (3-1, 0-0 GSC) at Mississippi College (2-0, 0-0 GSC)
Location: Clinton, Miss.  |  A.E. Wood Coliseum
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Don Lofton  |  199-120 (.624), 13th Year at MC

Points Per Game: 72.5  |  Scoring Margin: +4.0
Field Goal Percentage: 41.3  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: 40.5
Three-Point Percentage: 33.3  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: 30.6
Free Throw Percentage: 81.6  |  Rebounding Margin: -2.0
Turnovers Per Game: 11.5  |  Turnover Margin: +1.5

Leading Scorer: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 16.0 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Stacey Mack (6'2, 227, Jr.) - 12.0 rpg
Leading Assists: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 5.0 apg

Last Game: The Choctaws erased an 18-point first half deficit on their way to a 72-66 win over Spring Hill on Saturday (Nov. 26). Haynes led the Choctaws with 19 points, scoring 15 in the second half. He also had a team-high eight rebounds with five assists, while junior Antonio Johnson scored 16 points, going 4-of-8 from the three-point line. The MC defense held the Badgers to just 26% shooting from the field in the second half.

DELTA STATE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Jim Boone  |  74-49 (.602), 5th Year at DSU

Points Per Game: 76.0  |  Scoring Margin: +6.0
Field Goal Percentage: 44.9  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: 42.6
Three-Point Percentage: 28.2  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: 28.9
Free Throw Percentage: 59.3  |  Rebounding Margin: +5.5
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3  |  Turnover Margin: +1.7

Leading Scorer: Devin Schmidt (6'4, 215, Sr.) - 24.5 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Cedric Harper (6'7, 215, Jr.) - 8.5 rpg
Leading Assists: Devin Schmidt (6'4, 215, Sr.) - 4.8 apg

Last Game: After opening the season with three straight wins, the Statesmen dropped their first game of the year, falling to Arkansas-Monticello (77-67) on Sunday (Nov. 27). Brett Warner scored a team-high 17 points, while Schmidt had 16 points and five assists, despite going just 4-of-20 from the floor. DSU shot just 31% from the floor in the first 20 minutes and trailed 41-26 at the halftime break.

GAME NOTES
- This will be the 92nd all-time meeting between the two in-state rivals with DSU holding a 53-37-1 edge in the series. The teams spilt last year's meetings with the home teams getting victories, including the Choctaws grabbing a 71-66 win to close the 2015-16 regular season.
- Head coach Don Lofton enters his 13th season at the helm of the MC program, tallying 199 career victories over 319 games.
- The Choctaws are shooting 82% (40-of-49) from the free throw line, a mark that leads the GSC. MC also ranks 3rd in the league in scoring defense (68.5 ppg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.17).
- Junior Stacey Mack (14.0 ppg / 12.0 rpg) leads the conference in rebounding after setting a career-high with 16 boards in the season-opener against Auburn Montgomery.
- Senior DeOndre Haynes (16.0 ppg) ranks 9th in the GSC in scoring after putting up 19 points in the comeback win over Spring Hill, tallying 15 points in the second half.
- Junior Antonio Johnson (12.5 ppg) is shooting 50% (7-of-14) from the three-point line, while freshman Brandon Boston (9.0 ppg) is shooting 57% (8-of-14) from the field.
- The Statesmen are led by 5th-year head coach Jim Boone, who surpassed the 400-win mark for his career last season. He has 74 wins through a little more than four seasons in Cleveland.
- DSU is led by preseason All-American Devin Schmidt, who is already the school's all-time leading scorer at the beginning of his senior season. He is the GSC's second-leading scorer (24.5 ppg), but is averaging just 14.0 ppg over his last two contests.
- James Kilpatrick (11.3 ppg / 7.3 rpg) and Cedric Harper (11.0 ppg / 8.5 rpg) are also averaging in double-figures and lead the Statesmen in rebounding.
 

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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.