CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will close out their first road trip of the season on Saturday when they travel to Rome, Ga. to face Shorter University. Tip-off at the Winthrop-King Centre is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (Central).

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Mississippi College (3-2, 0-2 GSC) at Shorter (6-1, 1-1 GSC)
Location: Rome, Ga.  |   Winthrop-King Centre
Time: 3:00 p.m. (Central)
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Don Lofton  |  200-122 (.621), 13th Year at MC

SEASON STATS
Points Per Game: 68.2  |  Scoring Margin: -0.2
Field Goal Percentage: .359  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: .399
Three-Point Percentage: .268  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: .281
Free Throw Percentage: .747  |  Rebounding Margin: -1.0
Turnovers Per Game: 14.8  |  Turnover Margin: -0.4

Leading Scorer: Antonio Johnson (5'10, 165, Jr.) - 13.4 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 10.8 rpg
Leading Assists: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 4.0 apg

LAST GAME: The Choctaws shot just 27% from the floor in a 72-55 loss at Lee University on Thursday night. Freshman Brandon Boston tied a career-high with 13 points in his first career start. Sophomore Davy Fisher scored a career-high 10 points, while freshman Tucker Campbell had a career-high eight points.
 

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SHORTER INFORMATION
Head Coach: Tyler Murray  |  20-16 (.556), 2nd Year at MC

SEASON STATS
Points Per Game: 85.9  |  Scoring Margin: +10.8
Field Goal Percentage: .443  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: .411
Three-Point Percentage: .385  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: .310
Free Throw Percentage: .700  |  Rebounding Margin: -0.2
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1  |  Turnover Margin: +3.6

Leading Scorer: Phil Taylor (5'10, 175, Sr.) - 35.7 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Eric Ross (6'7, 225, Sr.) - 13.0 rpg
Leading Assists: Phil Taylor (5'10, 175, Sr.) - 4.1 apg

LAST GAME: The Hawks held Delta State to 34% shooting from the floor in an 83-74 win on Thursday night. Phil Taylor scored 30 points with 11 rebounds, while Eric Ross had 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Hawks.
 

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GAME NOTES
- This will be the 5th all-time meeting between the two schools with Shorter winning the previous four matchups. The Choctaws have scored at least 80 points in all four games, but the Hawks are averaging 91.8 points per contest. Last season, Shorter won 87-80 when the teams met in Rome (Jan. 9).
- The Choctaws are coming off a 72-55 loss to Lee on Thursday night, with MC shooting just 27% from the floor. Freshman Brandon Boston tied a career-high with 13 points in his first career start.
- While the Choctaws are shooting just 36% from the field over the first five games of the season, MC is leading the Gulf South Conference in free throw percentage (.747) and field goal percentage defense (.399).
- Junior Antonio Johnson (13.4 ppg) is the team's leading scorer this season with senior DeOndre Haynes (12.8) and junior Stacey Mack (10.8) also averaging in double-figures.
- Mack is the GSC's leading rebounder (10.8), leading all of Division II with 9.75 defensive rebounds per game. Haynes leads the team with 4.0 assists per game, while Johnson is the team's leading three-point shooter (15-36, .417).
- The Hawks are led by 2nd-year head coach Tyler Murray, who spent seven seasons as an assistant with Shorter before taking over last season. SU is 6-1 on the season with a 4-0 mark at home.
- The Hawks are led by the nation's leading scorer, Phil Taylor (35.7 ppg), who put up a conference record 62 points in a win over Carver Bible (11.28). He has scored at least 30 points in 5-of-7 games, while shooting 46% from the three-point line and going 81-of-102 (.794) from the free throw line. Taylor also leads the team with 4.1 assists per game and ranks 2nd with 6.0 rebounds per game.
 

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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.