CLINTON, Miss. --- Juniors Antonio Johnson and Stacey Mack combined for 45 points as the Mississippi College men's basketball team picked up their first Gulf South Conference win of the season with an 87-83 win over West Georgia on Monday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws (4-7, 1-6 GSC) were hot early as junior Otis Harvey nailed a three-pointer with 12:49 remaining in the first half to grab a 22-10 lead over the Wolves (7-6, 4-3 GSC).
- UWG would bounce back with a 22-3 run that included 17 straight points, taking a 32-25 lead with 8:45 to go.
- MC would come all the way back to tie the game at 45-45 with 1:05 remaining in the first period, but a pair of free throws for the Wolves gave them a 47-45 lead at the intermission.
- The Wolves scored the first five points of the second half and pushed the advantage out to 68-61 with 12:00 remaining in the game.
- The Choctaws went on a 12-2 run of their own to take a 73-70 lead after senior Byron McCall completed a three-point play with 6:55 left.
- The game would go back and forth over the final minutes, but Johnson, who went 5-of-7 from the three-point line on the night, gave the Choctaws an 83-77 lead with 2:29 remaining.
- The Wolves answered back with a 6-0 run to tie the game 83-83 when Keron Briggs hit a three-pointer from the corner.
- Freshman Tristan Hunter took over from there, scoring the game's final four points on a tip-in with 0:19 to go and two clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds. He also blocked West Georgia's attempt to tie the game and grabbed the rebound to clinch it.

KEY STATS
- The Choctaws shot 48% (31-of-65) from the field and went 7-of-13 from the three-point line, while the Wolves were 31-of-64 (48%) from the floor and 11-of-22 from long range.
- MC outrebounded UWG 45-29, inlcuding 17 offensive rebounds, which led the 17 second-chance points.
- Johnson led the Choctaws with 23 points, going 9-of-12 from the field to go with the five three-pointers. Johnson also had a team-high five assists.
- Mack scored a season-high 22 points to go along with 16 rebounds and three assists. The McComb native also went 12-of-13 from the foul line on the night.
- Senior DeOndre Haynes was also in double-figures with 13 points, going 6-of-12 from the floor.
- All nine players that saw action for the Choctaws scored at least three points and had at least two rebounds.
- Four Wolves scored in double-figures, led by Briggs with 17 points, going 4-of-9 from the three-point line.
- Ivan Saicic scored 14 points, while Stephaun Branch, the team's leading scorer, was held the 13 points with a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists.

GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws tied a season-high with 20 assists, putting up 20 helpers against William Carey (Dec. 29).
- Johnson's three-pointer with 16:16 to go in the first half gave MC their 493rd straight game with a three-pointer, dating back to March 5, 1998.
- The Choctaws are now 16-8 all-time against the Wolves, going 9-3 in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
- It was MC's first win over the Wolves since re-joining the GSC in the 2014-15 season and snapped a five-game losing streak overall to the Wolves.

NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will remain at home this week, hosting Alabama Huntsville on Thursday (Jan. 12) night at 7:30 p.m. in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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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.