CLINTON, Miss. --- Senior Antonio Johnson had to go through an unimaginable Saturday as he attended his mother's funeral in McComb during the morning and returned to play a Gulf South Conference game against West Alabama that night.

Johnson's mother passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday morning and the funeral was in McComb on Saturday.

The Tigers (8-2, 3-0 GSC) pulled away late for an 86-60 win over Choctaws (3-4, 1-2 GSC) in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

---

TURNING POINT
- With the Choctaws trailing 43-39 and just over 13 minutes remaining in the game, MC had a breakaway layup opportunity that rolled off the rim and led to a bucket for UWA on the other end. The Tigers would go on a 26-10 run and finished off the league road win.
 

---

HOW IT HAPPENED
- After the Tigers took an early 2-0 lead, the Choctaws would grab their lone advantage of the night when senior Otis Harvey hit a three-pointer with 18:10 to go in the first 20 minutes.
- UWA would push the lead out to as many as 14 in the first half, but the Choctaws cut the advantage to just three in the final minute and trailed 32-26 at the halftime break.
- After the Tigers scored the first eight points of the second half, MC would answer with an 8-0 run of their own, capped by a three-pointer from Antonio Johnson with 16:17 remaining in the contest.
- The Choctaws would pull to within four in the second half, but the Tigers took control over the final 10 minutes to grab the victory.
 

---

KEY STATS
- The Choctaws shot just 31% (21-of-68) from the field and just 21% (3-of-14) from the three point line in the loss.
- Senior Stacey Mack scored a team-high 13 points, going 4-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
- Sophomore Brandon Boston was also in double-figures with 12 points.
- Junior Donovan Ham had a team-best nine rebounds and four assists, while Boston and junior Isaiah Austin had eight boards apiece.
- The Tigers shot 48% from the field and went 9-of-19 from the three-point line.
- Charles Eaton, the GSC's leading scorer, put up 34 points, going 13-of-30 from the field.
- Josh Fleming scored 20 points, while Gavin Robinson had 15.
- As a team, UWA blocked 13 shots, led by five from Domonique Alexander and four from Robinson.
 

---

NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will hit the road for their first conference games away from Clinton, opening on Saturday (Dec. 16) when they face West Georgia in Carrollton.
 

---

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.