CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team jumped out to a 25-12 lead with 5:27 remaining in the first half, but Delta State withstood the early storm to come away with a 68-58 win on Thursday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

KEY STATS
- Junior Antonio Johnson scored a career-high 26 points, going 9-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-14 from the three-point line.
- The McComb native had a game-high 20 points in the first half, pushing the Choctaws out to a 33-29 advantage at the break.
- The Choctaws grabbed their largest lead of the game (25-12) with 6:42 remaining in the first half on a three-point play by senior DeOndre Haynes.
- Haynes was also in double-figures for MC, scoring 12 with a game-high six assists.
- The Choctaws shot just 32% (19-of-59) from the field, including going 8-of-29 (28%) from in the second half.
- MC was just 1-of-16 (6.3%) from long range in the second half.
- Devin Schmidt led all scorers with 27 points, going 8-of-25 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line.
- Brett Warner was also in double-figures with 14 points, while Devin Kilpatrick had a game-high 10 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws jumped out to a 25-12 advantage with 6:42 remaining in the first half, but the Statesmen cut the lead to 33-29 at halftime.
- The Statesmen tied the game 33-33 with 18:35 remaining in the game on a layup by Kilpatrick.
- DSU had their largest lead of the game on a three-point play by P.J. Davis with 2:42 remaining, taking a 63-51 lead.

GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws dropped their Gulf South Conference opener.
- Head coach Don Lofton sits on 199 wins, going 199-121 over his 13-year career.
- The Choctaws made a three-pointer for the 485th straight game, dating back to March 5, 1998 (vs. Sewanee).

NEXT UP
- The Choctaws are back in action on Saturday when they host Selma 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.