CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team outscored Southern Arkansas 13-1 over the final 4:30 to pick up a 66-63 win over Saturday afternoon in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The win in the final game of 2017 improved MC's record to 5-5, while the Muleriders dropped to 4-6 on the year.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws controlled things in the opening 20 minutes, using a 6-0 run halfway through to take their largest lead of the night at 18-10 with 9:10 remaining on a three-pointer by senior Stacey Mack.
- Senior Antonio Johnson brought the half to a big finish as he nailed a three-pointer and gave MC a 36-29 lead going into the break.
- The second half was a different story as the Muleriders scored the first seven points of the period to tie the game and then took their first lead at 44-42 with a jumper by CJ Elkins.
- SAU would eventually push their lead out to nine with 6:00 remaining on a three-pointer by Draylan Perkins that made the score 62-53.
- The MC defense would hold the Muleriders without a field goal the rest of the way and close the game on a 13-1 run to pick up the non-conference victory.
- The spurt began with a three-pointer by Johnson and was followed up by a pair of long balls from junior Donovan Ham to tie the game at 62-62.
- Johnson gave MC the lead for good with a three-pointer with 1:03 remaining, and senior Otis Harvey gave the game its final score with a free throw in the final seconds.
- The Choctaws held off a late charge by the Muleriders that saw a couple three-point opportunities come up short that would have tied the game.
 

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KEY STATS
- The Choctaws shot 40% (25-of-62) from the field and held the Muleriders to just 38% (24-of-64).
- MC was 9-of-25 (36%) from the three-point line, while SAU went just 5-of-20 (25%).
- The Choctaws' bench outscored SAU's 23-8, led by nine points from senior Xavion Dillon and seven from junior Isaiah Austin.
- Sophomore Brandon Boston scored a game-high 16 points, going 8-of-11 from the field and tied Mack with a team-high eight rebounds.
- Johnson (13) and Ham (10) were also in double-figures on the night, while Johnson had a team-high seven assists.
- In the game, the Choctaws had 19 assists on 25 made baskets.
- Elkins led the Muleriders with 14 points, while Perkins and Keaton Tennison each had 12.
- DeVante Brooks tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will open 2018 at home when they host North Alabama for a Gulf South Conference matchup on Tuesday (Jan. 2) 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.