CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team opened Gulf South Conference play with a 69-65 win over Union University on Thursday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The Choctaws improved to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in GSC play, while the Bulldogs fell to 4-3 and 0-1 in league action.
 

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TURNING POINT
- Both teams struggled to find points in the final minutes, but the MC defense turned up the heat in the last 60 seconds, turning a 65-64 deficit into the four-point win by outscoring Union 5-0.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bulldogs would jump out the first substantial lead of the game, taking a 9-4 advantage after a layup by Pedro Da Silva with 15:36 remaining in the first half.
- The Choctaws answered back with a 12-2 run to grab a five-point lead of their own at 9:56 to go on a three-pointer by senior Otis Harvey.
- Union grabbed their largest lead of the night with 2:28 remaining in the opening period as J.C. Hawkins hit one of his four long balls to take a 32-25 lead.
- MC would again respond, scoring the final eight points of the half to take a 33-32 lead into the break, capped by a three-pointer from junior Guy Johnson.
- In the second half, MC opened things with another 8-0 run to take a 44-36 lead after a three-pointer by senior Stacey Mack, who tallied his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
- The Choctaws took their largest lead of the night with 12:11 remaining when junior Xavion Dillon knocked down two free throws to make the score 56-46.
- The Bulldogs would continue to chip away at the deficit, eventually grabbing the 65-64 lead with 1:00 to go on the clock.
- After free throws by Mack and senior Antonio Johnson to grab the lead back, junior Isaiah Austin hit a pair of foul shots to give MC a three-point advantage with 16 seconds to go.
- The Bulldogs would miss a three on the other end, and Dillon iced the victory with another free throw in the final seconds to give MC the victory.
 

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KEY STATS
- The Choctaws outrebounded the Bulldogs, 50-37, including pulling down 17 offensive boards, scoring 16 second-chance points.
- MC shot just 37% (23-of-63) from the floor, but the defense held Union to just 39% (25-of-64). The Choctaws had nine players score at least three points in the contest.
- Dillon led all scorers with 16 points in his season debut, just missing out on a double-double with nine rebounds. He also added a team-best three blocked shots.
- Mack's double-double was just MC's second of the season, and the McComb native grabbed a season-high 12 boards, including five on the offensive glass.
- Antonio Johnson was also in double-figures with 11 points, joining junior Donovan Ham with a team-high three assists.
- The Bulldogs had four players score in double-figures, led by 15 from Da Silva, who recorded a double-double with 15 rebounds.
- Todd Barnes also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while KC Goodwin scored four points with a game-high seven assists.
 

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GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, picking up their first victory since January 31, 2015 (72-67).
- MC is now 5-7 all-time against Union, improving their home record to 2-2.
- Mack became just the 8th player in school history to pull down 500 career rebounds, corralling 503 over his four-year stint in Blue and Gold.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will be back in action on Saturday when they welcome #10 Christian Brothers to Clinton at 4:00 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.