CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will wrap up the 2016-17 season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to face rival West Alabama. Tip-off for the Gulf South Conference contest in Pruitt Hall is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Mississippi College (6-19, 3-18 GSC) at West Alabama (10-17, 5-16 GSC)
Location: Livingston, Ala. | Pruitt Hall
Time: 4:00 p.m.
THE SERIES
This will be the 65th all-time meeting between the two schools that sit just 140 miles apart. MC holds a 33-31 edge in the series, going 18-11 in games played in Clinton, while UWA has a 16-12 lead in contests in Livingston. Last season, the Choctaws swept the season series, grabbing a 68-65 win at UWA. The Tigers won the meeting earlier this year, defeating MC in Clinton, 61-54 (Jan. 7).
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach:
Don Lofton | 203-137 (.594), 13th Year at MC
SEASON STATS
Leading Scorer:
DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 14.3 ppg
Leading Rebounder:
Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 8.0 rpg
Leading Assists:
DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 3.7 apg
LAST GAME: The Choctaws had their highest-scoring output in three years as they picked up their first road win of the season with a 106-101 victory at West Georgia on Thursday night. Four Choctaws scored 22 or more points, led by senior
DeOndre Haynes with 27 and a team-high six assists. Sophomore
Xavion Dillon (26) and junior
Stacey Mack (23) scored career-highs, while junior
Antonio Johnson (22) tied a career-high with six three-pointers.
WEST ALABAMA INFORMATION
Head Coach: Allen Sharpe | 44-45 (.494), 3rd Year at UWA
SEASON STATS
Leading Scorer: Gavin Robinson (6'7, 195, Jr.) - 17.2 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Gavin Robinson (6'7, 195, Jr.) - 8.2 rpg
Leading Assists: Sean Cranney (6'2, 175, Fr.) - 4.2 apg
LAST GAME: The Tigers, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, saw a comeback fall just short in a 72-67 home loss to Delta State on Thursday night. Junior Gavin Robinson led UWA with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Sean Cranney scored 17 points with a game-high seven assists.
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.
- Saturday marks the final collegiate games in the careers of
Jared Case,
DeOndre Haynes and
Byron McCall. Case started 20 games over his four-year career, while Haynes and McCall are the only two players to start all 25 contests this season.
- Haynes (14.3 ppg) is the team's leading scorer this season and has been especially productive late in the season, scoring at least 20 points in four of the last five games, averaging 23.4 over that span. He is shooting 56% from the field over the last five, including scoring a career-high 31 against Union last Saturday.
- The Choctaws had their highest scoring game in the last three years on Thursday night, pulling out a 106-101 victory over West Georgia in their first road win of the season. Four Choctaws scored 22 or more points, led by Haynes (27). Sophomore
Xavion Dillon (26) and junior
Stacey Mack (23) scored career-highs, while junior
Antonio Johnson (22) tied a career-high with six made three-pointers.
- MC shot 56% from the field, including 57% in the first half on their way to a 55-point period, their highest-scoring frame of the year. The Choctaws tied a season-high with a 21-point lead against the Wolves but had to hold off a late charge to sweep the season series.
- The Tigers, led by third-year head coach Allen Sharpe, will also wrap up their season on Saturday as they will finish outside the top-8 in the conference that advance to the postseason tournament. UWA has lost 9-of-10 games, but five of those losses have come by five points or less.
- Gavin Robinson (17.2 ppg / 8.2 rpg) is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, shooting 48% from the floor and 79% from the free throw line. The Choctaws held the junior to just six points and five rebounds on January 7th.
- Jahmal Lane (13.9 ppg) is also averaging in double-figures and scored a game-high 21 in the last meeting with MC.
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.
#MC#
