CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College basketball team will welcome Shorter University to Clinton on Thursday night. Tip-off for the Gulf South Conference game in A.E. Wood Coliseum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Shorter (14-8, 8-8 GSC) at Mississippi College (4-16, 1-15 GSC)
Location: Clinton, Miss.  |  A.E. Wood Coliseum
Time: 7:30 p.m.
 

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THE SERIES
This will be the 6th all-time meeting between the two schools with the Hawks winning all five previous matchups. While the series has been lopsided in wins and losses, every game has been decided by 10 points or less, including a 95-93 loss for MC in Rome in December. DeOndre Haynes went 11-of-13 from the floor and scored a team-high 22 points, but Phil Taylor led all scorers with 52 points for Shorter.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Don Lofton  |  201-136 (.596), 13th Year at MC

SEASON STATS

Leading Scorer: Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 12.8 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Stacey Mack (6'7, 229, Jr.) - 7.8 rpg
Leading Assists: DeOndre Haynes (6'3, 180, Sr.) - 3.6 apg

LAST GAME: The Choctaws played their third game in five days, traveling to rival Delta State on Monday and falling to their Magnolia State rivals, 85-62. Sophomore Xavion Dillon and freshman Brandon Boston came off the bench to lead MC with 13 points apiece, while Stacey Mack had his 12th straight game in double-figures and a team-high 10 rebounds.
 

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SHORTER INFORMATION
Head Coach: Tyler Murray  |  28-23 (.549), 2nd Year at Shorter

SEASON STATS

Leading Scorer: Phil Taylor (5'10, 175, Sr.) - 33.6 ppg [Leads NCAA Division II]
Leading Rebounder: Eric Ross (6'7, 225, Sr.) - 13.3 rpg [2nd in NCAA Division II]
Leading Assists: Phil Taylor (5'10, 175, Sr.) - 4.1 apg

LAST GAME: The Hawks traveled to Florence, Ala. and walked away with a 117-111 overtime victory over North Alabama on Saturday afternoon. The game was tied 99-99 at the end of regulation as Shorter had three players score more than 20 points, led by Taylor (25) and Damerit Brown (25), while Mike Wickliff added 24. Ross scored 12 points with 18 rebounds in the win.
 

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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.
- MC traveled to face rival Delta State on Monday night, falling to the Statesmen, 85-62. Devin Schmidt and Brett Warner combined for 59 points, going 12-of-23 (52%) from the three-point line combined. Sophomore Xavion Dillon and freshman Brandon Boston led MC with 13 points off the bench, while Stacey Mack scored 10 with a team-high nine rebounds.
- Mack (12.8 ppg / 7.8 rpg) is the team's leading scorer and rebounder and has scored in double-figures in all 12 games of 2017. He is averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, shooting 48% from the field in that span.
- Junior Antonio Johnson (12.3 ppg) joins Haynes (12.0 ppg) and Dillon (11.3 ppg) as players scoring in double-figures. Johnson leads the team by shooting 39% from the three-point line, while Haynes has a team-high 72 assists. Dillon leads the squad with 17 blocked shots.
- The Hawks have won three straight games, including a 117-111 overtime victory at North Alabama on Saturday afternoon. Under second-year head coach Tyler Murray, Shorter is currently sixth in the Gulf South Conference standings.
- Shorter's unquestioned leader on the floor is senior Phil Taylor (33.6 ppg), who is Division II's leading scorer. The transfer from Florida International is shooting 39% from the three-point line and is 210-of-252 (83%) from the foul line. Taylor also leads the team with 82 assists and 39 steals.
- Senior Eric Ross (10.3 ppg) leads the GSC in rebounding (13.3 rpg), pulling down double-figures rebounds in all but four games with a season-high 24 against UAH on January 19th.
 

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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.