CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will close out the 2016 portion of their schedule when they host Christian Brothers on New Year's Eve. Tip-off for the Saturday contest in A.E. Wood Coliseum is set for 4:00 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Christian Brothers (7-3, 4-0 GSC) at Mississippi College (3-4, 0-3 GSC)
Location: Clinton, Miss.  |  A.E. Wood Coliseum
Time: 4:00 p.m.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Don Lofton  |  200-124 (.617), 13th Year at MC

SEASON STATS
Points Per Game: 72.7  |  Scoring Margin: -1.7
Field Goal Percentage: .413  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: .405
Three-Point Percentage: .295  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: .298
Free Throw Percentage: .725  |  Rebounding Margin: -3.3
Turnovers Per Game: 15.9  |  Turnover Margin: -1.9

Leading Scorer: Xavion Dillon (6'7, 220, So.) - 18.0 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Xavion Dillon (6'7, 220, So.) - 10.0 rpg
Leading Assists: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 4.9 apg

LAST GAME: The Choctaws took a 43-38 lead into the half at William Carey, but a 10-0 run by the Crusaders out of the break pushed them on to an 84-75 win on Thursday (Dec. 29) night. MC turned the ball over 27 times, leading to 32 points for Carey.
 

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CHRISTIAN BROTHERS INFORMATION
Head Coach: Mike Nienaber  |  300-195 (.606), 18th Year at CBU

SEASON STATS
Points Per Game: 76.7  |  Scoring Margin: +6.0
Field Goal Percentage: .488  |  Field Goal Percentage Defense: .441
Three-Point Percentage: .392  |  Three-Point Percentage Defense: .362
Free Throw Percentage: .672  |  Rebounding Margin: -2.7
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0  |  Turnover Margin: 1.3

Leading Scorer: Jeff Larkin (6'0, 175, Jr.), Adam Dieball (6'8, 220, So.) - 15.6 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Alex Trentman (6'6, 200, So.) - 6.8 rpg
Leading Assists: Jeff Larkin (6'0, 175, Jr.) - 4.8 apg

LAST GAME: Larkin and Joe Laravie combined to score 55 points as the Bucs grabbed an 86-74 home win over West Florida on December 17th. The two combined to go 10-of-20 (50%) from the three-point line and 15-of-18 (.833) from the foul line as CBU stayed perfect (4-0) in GSC play.
 

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GAME NOTES
- This will be the 11th all-time meeting between the two schools with each team winning five games. The Choctaws held a 5-1 advantage in the series until re-joining the GSC in 2014-15. The Bucs have won each of the last four meetings, including a 64-53 win in Clinton last season.
- The Choctaws are led by 13th-year head coach Don Lofton, who earned his 200th career victory in an 83-65 win over Selma on December 3rd.
- The Choctaws are coming off an 84-75 loss to William Carey on Thursday night. MC went into the half with a 43-38 advantage, but a 10-0 run by the Crusaders out of the gate gave them a lead they would not relinquish. MC turned the ball over 27 times in their final non-conference contest of the season.
- Sophomore Xavion Dillon, a transfer from SE Missouri State, made his season debut against WC, tallying a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He went 7-of-9 from the floor.
- Junior Antonio Johnson (14.3 ppg) is the team's leading scorer and ranks 5th in the Gulf South Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.434). Senior DeOndre Haynes (13.4 ppg) is tied for the lead in the GSC in assists per game (4.9) and ranks 6th in steals per contest (2.0).
- Despite dropping their last two contests, the Choctaws have shot over 50% in each game. A telling stat is that MC is 3-0 in games they have more free throw attempts than their opponents, while going 0-4 when opponents have more attempts.
- The GSC-leading Bucs are led by former Choctaw Mike Nienaber, who graduated from MC in 1977. Nienaber won his 300th game against West Florida and has CBU 4-0 in GSC play.
- The Bucs are shooting 49% from the floor and 39% from the three-point line, both marks rank 2nd in the league. They do, however, rank 11th in rebounding margin (-2.7).
- Jeff Larkin (15.6 ppg) and Adam Dieball (15.6 ppg) are the team's leading scorers, while Alex Trentman leads the way with 6.8 rebounds per game. Joe Laravie (10.7 ppg) is also scoring in double-figures, shooting 42% from the three-point line.
 

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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.