CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will wrap up the 2017 portion of their schedule on Saturday afternoon when they host Southern Arkansas University. Tip-off in A.E. Wood Coliseum is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

The Choctaws (4-5) and the Muleriders (4-5) have met 12 previous times with each team winning six contests. The school's last played on the hardwood in 1996 with SAU picking up a 69-68 victory in Magnolia. The home teams have dominated the matchup, with each going 5-1 in their native arenas.

Head coach Don Lofton leads the Choctaws in his 14th season at helm, coaching his 350th game on December 9th against West Alabama. Lofton has won 208 games in his career, ranking second behind athletic director Mike Jones (332). SAU is led by 6th-year head coach Andy Sharpe, who has 239 career victories over three coaching stops (Emmanuel, Martin Methodist).
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (4-5, 2-3 GSC)
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Choctaws are coming off an overtime win at Auburn Montgomery on December 18th, erasing a five-point deficit in the final minutes to grab a 95-84 win. MC went 6-of-6 from the field in the extra period and outscored the Warhawks, 19-8. Junior Leito Holloway scored a season-high 20 points, while senior Xavion Dillon came off the bench to score 17.

Senior Stacey Mack (17.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg) leads the Choctaws in scoring and rebounding and is shooting 52% from the floor and a career-best 77% from the foul line. The McComb native has scored in double-figures in all but the opening game of the season, putting up at least 22 on four occasions.

Senior Antonio Johnson (10.9 ppg) leads MC with 4.0 assists per contest and is shooting 44% from the three-point line. Junior Donovan Ham (12.0 ppg) and Dillon (11.4 ppg) are also averaging in double-figures with Dillon averaging 2.0 blocked shots per game.
 

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SOUTHERN ARKANSAS (4-5, 0-4 GAC)
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Muleriders, out of the Great American Conference, will play their first game in three weeks after a 108-59 win over Crowley's Ridge on December 9th. Keeton Tennison scored a team-high 18 points, going 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from the three-point line. As a team, SAU shot 61% from the floor, while holding CRC to just 34%.

CJ Elkins (12.8 ppg) is the team's leading scorer and has a team-best 2.3 assists per game. Draylan Perkins (12.4 ppg) and Tennison (11.7 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures with both shooting over 45% from the three-point line.

DeVante Brooks (5.0 ppg) leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, while Wesley Nosakhare (7.1 ppg) has a team-best .628 field goal percentage.
 

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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.