CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team opens the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, Nov. 14 as it travels to New Orleans, La., to face Southern University of New Orleans. Tip-off inside The Castle is set for 5 p.m.

---

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE AT SOUTHERN-NEW ORLEANS

WHEN                      Tuesday, Nov. 14

WHERE                   THE CASTLE

FOLLOW                 LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO

SOCIAL MEDIA      @GoChoctawsWBB

---

NOTES 
Tuesday's contest marks the first meeting between Mississippi College and Southern-New Orleans, but is the first of a home-and-home series as SUNO comes to Clinton, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 25.
 
Mississippi College is 10-3 all-time against the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. The Lady Choctaws hold a 6-0 mark against in-state foe Tougaloo College and 2-1 against Dillard University and Talladega College. MC is 0-1 against Xavier-Louisiana.
 
The Lady Choctaws fell in both their exhibitions at Southeastern Conference foes Mississippi (66-35) and Louisiana State (96-34). Sophomores Zariah Matthews and Ieisha Lacey and freshman Lauran Sheriff helped guide the efforts for the Navy and Gold. Sheriff averaged 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds during the two exhibitions, including a team-best 10 points in Baton Rouge. Lacey also tabbed in 10 points at LSU and averaged 9.5 points per game. Matthews led MC with 13 points in Oxford, Miss., and averaged 8.5 points for the two exhibitions.
 
SUNO opened the 2017-18 campaign with a 76-61 loss at Division I McNeese. Taliah Robertson led the Lady Knights with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Tyra Gibson added 16 points followed by Kascity Martin with 12 points and Briana Upshur with 10 points. Andriel Moss grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds.
 
Mississippi College returns seven players from the 2016-17 squad that finished the season 12-14 and 9-13 in the Gulf South Conference. Senior Kelley Allen returns as the team's leading scorer and rebounder from a season ago. The Puckett, Miss., native finished with 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and finished second in the GSC in steals per game with 2.6 and fifth in blocked shots with 1.0.
 
MC added seven new faces this season, including University of Louisiana at Monroe transfer and Jackson, Miss., native Emery Wilson. Along with Wilson, the Navy and Gold added JUCO transfers Jamilah Sanders (Copiah Lincoln CC), Coco Hobson (East Mississippi CC) and Zan Ratcliffe (Jones JC). Ratcliffe and Wilson were tagged among the top newcomers in the GSC this season.
 
The Lady Choctaws were picked to finish ninth in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. MC finished ninth in the league last season as it missed the GSC Tournament by one game.
 
Mississippi College head coach Paul Allen Duke returns to the sideline for his 23rd season. Duke has compiled a 356-204 career coaching record at the helm of the women's basketball program. The longtime head coach is joined by two former Lady Choctaws on the bench. Jalessa Taylor begins her fourth season as an assistant coach for MC, where she was a two-time All-Southwest Conference performer for MC. Kristen Sampson joins the staff as a graduate assistant after playing for the Lady Choctaws from 2014-16.

---

NEXT UP
Mississippi College opens the home slate on Saturday, Nov. 18 against Le-Moyne Owen. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.