CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team improved to 2-1 on the season as the Lady Choctaws earned an 82-77 win over in-state and Gulf South Conference foe, Delta State to open GSC play.
 
KEY STATS/NOTES
The victory is the first for Mississippi College since Jan. 17, 2015, when MC claimed a 74-69 decision in Clinton, Miss. The win is also the first time the Navy and Gold have won its conference opener since Nov. 26, 2011 at Texas Lutheran (54-38).
 
Mississippi College placed four players in double figures led by Kelley Allen's 22 points. The point-total marked a season-high for the Puckett, Miss., native and surpassed her previous high of 19 points against Lane College in the season opener.
 
Lanae' Bickham posted 17 points in the win to notch a season-high and best her previous best of 14 points against Henderson State.
 
Olivia Mabry gathered a career-high with 13 points. The Meridian, Miss., native's previous best of 12 points came against the Ozarks on Feb. 20, 2014.
 
Toni Woods added 10 points to mark her second straight game in double figures. The Lafayette, La., product missed her third career double-double with eight rebounds against the Lady Statesmen.
 
Ashley Minor grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to lead the team on the glass. The Natchez, Miss., senior's previous high was seven against Selma on Nov. 18, 2014.
 
The decision marks the first time that Delta State has lost a GSC opener since 2012, a 50-42 loss at Valdosta State.
 
Delta State was led by Anissa Jackson's 16 points while Kaelin Kneeland grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing the first half, Mississippi College hit 10 of its 11 shots in the third quarter, including its first nine to take its first lead of the game at the 8:12 mark of the quarter. MC used an 8-2 run to grab the advantage.
 
The Lady Choctaws led by as many as 18 points with 6:45 left to play in the game. The largest lead came on a fastbreak layup by Allen. The basket was set up on a steal by Allen, one of her team-best and season-high six in the game.
 
Delta State narrowed the deficit to three points (80-77) with 17 seconds left behind a 22-7 run. However, Bickham knocked down a pair of free throws with 14 seconds to ice the game. The Baton Rouge, La., native went 9-for-13 from the charity stripe in the win.
 
Delta State's largest lead came with 53 seconds to play in the first quarter. The Green and White led by 18-9 at the end of the opening period.
 
NEXT UP
Mississippi College returns to non-conference action on Tuesday, Dec. 6 as it hosts LeMoyne-Owen. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.