CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team opens up a two-game road trip to close the 2016-17 season on Thursday night when they travel to Carrollton, Ga. to face West Georgia. Tip-off at The Coliseum is scheduled for 6:30 pm (Central).
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Mississippi College (5-19, 2-18 GSC) at West Georgia (9-17, 6-14 GSC)
Location: Carrollton, Ga. | The Coliseum
Time: 6:30 p.m. (Central)
THE SERIES
This will be the 25th all-time meeting between the two schools with MC holding a 16-8 edge in the series. The Choctaws snapped a five-game losing streak to the Wolves last time out with an 87-83 win on January 9th in Clinton. The McComb duo of
Antonio Johnson (23) and
Stacey Mack (22) combined for 55 points, while Mack pulled down 16 rebounds and went 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach:
Don Lofton | 202-137 (.592), 13th Year at MC
SEASON STATS
Leading Scorer:
DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 13.8 ppg
Leading Rebounder:
Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 8.2 rpg
Leading Assists:
DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 3.5 apg
LAST GAME: The Choctaws nearly erased a 28-point second-half deficit in an 83-77 loss to Union University on Saturday afternoon in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
DeOndre Haynes gave the crowd a show on his "Senior Day," scoring a career-high 31 points, including 24 in the second half. MC was able to cut the four-touchdown lead down to just four in the final minutes, but the Bulldogs held on for the victory.
WEST GEORGIA INFORMATION
Head Coach: Michael Cooney | 153-133 (.535), 10th Year at UWG
SEASON STATS
Leading Scorer: Stephaun Branch (6'3, 185, Sr.) - 19.2 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Stephaun Branch (6'3, 185, Sr.) - 8.8 rpg
Leading Assists: Aren Ulmer (6'0, 175, So.) - 3.1 apg
LAST GAME: The Wolves dropped their fourth straight game in an 82-72 road loss to Lee University on Saturday afternoon. UWG was unable to come back from a 13-point halftime deficit, despite outscoring the Flames in the second 20 minutes. Keron Briggs scored a team-high 17 points, while Stephaun Branch had 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws are led by 13th-year head coach
Don Lofton, who earned his 200th career victory on December 3rd in an 83-65 win over Selma.
-
DeOndre Haynes had quite the "Senior Day" in his final game in A.E. Wood Coliseum last Saturday. The Calera, Ala. native scored a career-high 31 points, including 24 in the second half as the Choctaws nearly erased a 28-point second half deficit in an 83-77 loss to Union. Haynes went 12-of-21 from the field with a team-high seven assists.
- The Choctaws have done something in 2016-17 that has not been accomplished in 10 years as Haynes (330), Johnson (316) and Mack (305) have all scored over 300 points this season. The last time MC had three player achieve that feat came when D.J. Jones (424), Timothy Broomfield (332) and Marcus Evans (308) did it in 2006-07.
- The Choctaws have shot 53% from the field and 46% from the three-point line over the last four games as each have been decided by seven points or less. Haynes is averaging 22.5 points per game over that span, while Mack is averaging 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Johnson is shooting 64% (16-of-25) from behind the arc in the last four games.
- The Wolves, led by 10th-year head coach Michael Cooney, got off to a hot start this season, going 7-2 over their first nine contests. Since that point, UWG is just 2-14, including the 87-83 loss to MC. They are coming off a couple road losses to Shorter (93-77) and Lee (82-72) in their last two games.
- Stephaun Branch (19.2 ppg / 8.8 rpg) is the team's leading scorer and rebounder this season, shooting 46% from the floor and going 119-of-173 (69%) from the free throw line. Branch also leads the team with 46 blocks and 45 steals and ranks 2nd with 60 assists.
- Shannon Fowler (12.4 ppg) and Keron Briggs (11.5 ppg) are also averaging in double-figures for the Wolves as Fowler is shooting a team-high 53% from the field and Briggs has made a team-high 48 three-pointers.
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.
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