CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball will travel to face the top team in the Gulf South Conference when they battle Valdosta State University on Saturday. Tip-off at The Complex is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Central.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Mississippi College (4-10, 1-9 GSC) at Valdosta State (13-3, 8-2 GSC)
Location: Valdosta, Ga.  |  The Complex
Time: 3:00 p.m. (Central)
 

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THE SERIES
This will be the 32nd all-time meeting between the two schools with MC holding a 17-14 edge in the series. The Blazers are 10-5 when the teams square off in Georgia, but the Choctaws have won the last three meetings in Georgia. Last season, MC grabbed an 89-88 overtime victory on the road against VSU.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Don Lofton  |  201-130 (.607), 13th Year at MC

SEASON STATS

Leading Scorer: Antonio Johnson (5'10, 165, Jr.) - 12.8 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 8.4 rpg
Leading Assists: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 3.6 apg

LAST GAME: The Choctaws got out to a 5-0 lead, but West Florida would cruise to a 92-72 victory on Thursday night in the UWF Field House. Sophomore Xavion Dillon scored a game-high 19 points, but the Argos shot 52% from the floor and tallied 26 points off 16 MC turnovers to grab the victory.
 

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VALDOSTA STATE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Mike Helfer  |  214-122 (.637), 12th Year at VSU

SEASON STATS

Leading Scorer: Jeremiah Hill (6'2, 170, Sr.) - 17.9 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Saadiq Muhammad (6'7, 220, Sr.) - 5.8 rpg
Leading Assists: Jeremiah Hill (6'2, 170, Sr.) - 4.1 apg

LAST GAME: The Blazers extended a five-point halftime lead and put four players in double-figures in a 79-62 home win over Delta State on Thursday night. Beau Justice scored a team-high 16 points, going 3-of-5 from the three-point line, while Justin Simon tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 

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GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws are led by 13th-year head coach Don Lofton, who earned his 200th career victory on December 3rd in an 83-65 win over Selma.
- MC went on the road for the first time since the first days of January, dropping a Thursday night contest at West Florida, 92-72. Sophomore Xavion Dillon led all scorers with 19 points, but the Argos shot over 50% from the field and made 11 three-pointers in the game.
- Junior Stacey Mack (11.6 ppg) has led the Choctaws over the last five games, averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 80% (28-of-35) from the foul line and has pulled down 18 offensive boards during that span.
- Junior Antonio Johnson (12.8 ppg), the team's leading scorer, started his first game off the bench on Thursday night due to an illness earlier in the week. Dillon (12.1 ppg) is the team's second-leading scorer, while senior DeOndre Haynes (11.5 ppg) is also averaging in double-figures.
- The Blazers are led by 12th-year head coach Mike Helfer, who won his 400th career game on Thursday night against Delta State. VSU has won four straight games and sits atop the GSC with UAH at 8-2 in league play.
- The Blazers (87.7 ppg) are the top-scoring team in the conference and lead the league in three-point percentage defense (.292). Jeremiah Hill (17.9 ppg) ranks 5th in the GSC in scoring and 6th in assists per game (4.1).
- Beau Justice (13.2 ppg) is shooting 43% from the three-point line, while Saadiq Muhhammad (12.6 ppg) leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Damian Young (12.6 ppg) and Josh Lemons (11.6 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures for the Blazers.
 

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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.