CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team opens the month of February by hosting Valdosta State University on Thursday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum. Tip-off for the Gulf South Conference contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

This will be the 31st all-time meeting between the two schools with MC holding a 17-13 edge in the series. The Choctaws are 11-3 when hosting tthe Blazers and have won all three meetings with VSU since rejoining the GSC prior to last season.

Earlier this season, MC traveled to Georgia and walked out with an 89-88 overtime victory over the Blazers. Johnny Rucker scored a season-high 24 points, while Tory Rice posted 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Choctaws shot 56% from the floor and Jonathan McGee hit a layup in the final seconds to clinch the road win.

The Choctaws (6-11, 5-10 GSC) are coming off a tough loss to Union on Saturday despite big games from Tristan Moore (20 pts) and McGee (19 pts). The two combined to go 6-of-9 from the three-point line with eight rebounds. Marterrace Brock scored 35 for the Bulldogs as they overcame a halftime deficit to pick up the win.

MC head coach Don Lofton comes into his 12th season with his 200th career victory in sight. Lofton, who has been a part of the program for more than 30 years, has won 195 games as the head man and coached his 300th career game against UWF.

Rice (Starkville, Miss.) missed Saturday's game after an injury against Christian Brothers midway through the second half on Thursday night. The GSC's leading rebounder (11.8 rpg) and the team's leading scorer (14.0 ppg) had started the first 40 games of his careeer in the "Blue and Gold."

Moore (13.3 ppg / 4.1 apg) continues to be MC's all-time leader in assists (4.3) and steals (1.3) per game for a career. He leads the team with 70 helpers this season, including a season-high 10 against West Georgia (Dec. 5). The Senatobia native went 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line against Union.

McGee (11.5 ppg) scored in double-figures in both games of the road trip. The Raymond native went 7-of-14 (50%) from the three-point line in the two games and pulled down a season-high six rebounds against Union.

DeOndre Haynes (12 pts) and Byron McCall (6 pts) both scored season-highs against Union. The two will be relied on heavily while Rice misses time with an injury. Both players also set season-highs for minutes played against the Bulldogs.

The Blazers (12-8, 8-7 GSC) are led by 11th-year head coach Mike Helfer, who is in search of his 200th win at Valdosta. He is also creeping up on the 400-win mark in his 19th overall coaching season. Helfer has VSU tied for 6th in the GSC standings with the top eight teams advancing to the postseason tournament.

The Blazers started off hot this season, going 8-2 over their first 10 games, with both losses coming in overtime. Lately, they have cooled somewhat, dropping three straight before a 74-70 win over Lee on Saturday afternoon.VSU is 9-4 at home this season, going just 3-3 on the road.

Five different players averaging in double-figure scoring for the Blazers, led by Blake Justice (16.0 ppg), who just eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. The senior leads the team with 25 steals and is shooting 79% from the foul line.

Chris Longoria (14.8 ppg) played just his third game of the season back on December 19th against MC, but the Samford transfer scored a season-high 28 points, playing all 40 minutes. Saadiq Muhammad (12.3 ppg), Justin Simon (11.0 ppg) and Shaun Jones (10.5) also average double-figure scoring for VSU.