CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team outlasted the University of West Alabama 80-76 in Gulf South Conference action on Saturday evening. MC improved to 4-4 on the season and 1-2 in GSC action. UWA fell to 3-6 and 1-2 in the league.
 

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KEY NOTES
A trio of Lady Choctaws scored in double figures led by Zariah Matthews and Ieisha Lacey with 18 points. Lacey reset her career-high in the scoring column as she surpassed her previous best of 16 set at Arkansas Tech earlier this season. Lacey also tallied a career-high three steals. Matthews finished one off her career-best.
 
Lauran Sheriff rounded out the group with 10 points and pulled down six rebounds – two off her season-high.
 
Kelley Allen grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds in the win. The senior from Puckett, Miss., has double figure boards in all four of her contests this season.
 
Jamilah Sanders added a season-high with seven points.

The Lady Choctaws tied a season-high with the 80 points in the game.
 
Mississippi College shot a season-best 33.3 percent from behind the arc as it connected on a season-high, seven 3-pointers.
 
The win gives the Navy and Gold its 12th in the series with West Alabama and eighth inside A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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TURNING POINT
Leading 66-59 late in the fourth quarter, Lacey knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in the game to place the Lady Choctaws up 69-59. MC didn't relinquish the lead as it drained free throws the remainder of the way, including a pair of free throws from Matthews and Zan Ratcliffe.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
Holding a 37-35 advantage after the first half, Mississippi College outscored the Red and White 21-12 in the third quarter. The Tigers grabbed a narrow lead early in the third period, but MC rallied to tie the contest at 44-all with 7:02 left in the quarter.
 
The Lady Choctaws broke the deadlock on a 3-point from Ratcliffe with 6:46 left in the period. The trey sparked a 14-2 run to grab a 12-point lead with 1:30 left in the period. Six different Lady Choctaws scored during the scoring spurt.
 
West Alabama climbed back into the contest as it nipped the deficit under double-digits early in the fourth quarter, but Lacey's 3-pointer placed MC up 10 points with just over three minutes to play in the game.
 
Matthews hit a jumper to place the Navy and Gold up 71-59 with under three minutes in the contest, but again the Tigers worked the lead down as they pulled within 79-76, but Matthews hit the front end of free throw to push the lead back out to four points and a pair of blocks from Allen and Sheriff in the final eight seconds helped solidify the first conference win of the season.
 

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NEXT UP
Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 16 as it travels to Carrollton, Ga., for a GSC contest against the University of West Georgia. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. central at The Coliseum.