CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will open the 2018 portion of their schedule with a pair of Gulf South Conference games in A.E. Wood Coliseum. The Choctaws will host North Alabama on Tuesday (Jan. 2) and UAH on Thursday (Jan. 4), with both games scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

The Choctaws and Lions have met 49 previous times with UNA holding a 30-19 edge in the series. This will be the final meeting between the long-time GSC rivals as the Lions are currently transitioning to Division I. Last year, MC dropped both contests to the Lions, falling 60-57 on a three-pointer in the final seconds in Clinton.

MC and UAH have met 11 previous times with the Choctaws holding a 6-5 edge in the series. The Choctaws won the first six games, while the Chargers are on a current five-game winning streak. Last season, UAH won both games by at least 10 points, including a 70-60 win in Clinton.

The Choctaws are led by 14th-year head coach Don Lofton, who coached his 350th game this season and won his 200th game in the 2016-17 campaign. The Lions are led by 15th-year head coach Bobby Champagne, who has won 237 games in his career. Lennie Acuff is in his 20th season as the head coach at UAH and won his 400th game for the Chargers this season.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (5-5, 2-3 GSC)
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Choctaws are coming off a pair of come-from-behind victories, including a nine-point comeback in the final five minutes to grab a 66-63 win over Southern Arkansas on Saturday (Dec. 30). Senior Antonio Johnson (11.1 ppg) and junior Donovan Ham (11.8 ppg) spearheaded a 13-1 run over the final 4:30, while senior Otis Harvey (4.0 ppg) clinched the game with a free throw in the final seconds.

MC ranks 2nd in the GSC in blocked shots per game (4.2), led by seniors Stacey Mack (16.1 ppg) and Xavion Dillon (11.0 ppg) with 12 apiece. The Choctaws are also 3rd in the league in assists per contest (17.2) with Johnson leading the team with 4.3 and Ham just behind at 3.4.

Mack (7.9 rpg) is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, but the balance Choctaw offensive attack has five players averaging in double-figures. Sophomore Brandon Boston (10.0 ppg) scored a team-high 16 points, going 8-of-11 from the field in the win over Southern Arkansas.
 

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NORTH ALABAMA (7-4, 2-2 GSC)
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Lions had won 7-of-8 games before a tough 81-79 home loss to Lee University just before the Christmas break. Kendall Stafford (14.6 ppg) scored a game-high 27 points, but the Flames shot 52% from the field to grab the big road victory.

UNA leads the league in three-point percentage (.439) and rebounding margin (+9.2). Stafford is the team's leading scorer and rebounder with 9.2 boards per contest.

Six different players are scoring in double-figures with Kendarius Smith (14.2 ppg) just behind Stafford, who leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per contest. Jeff Hodge (12.4 ppg) has started for the Lions since his freshman year in Florence.
 

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UAH (9-3, 2-2 GSC)
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Chargers have won four straight games coming into 2018, including two conference home wins over Shorter and Lee. In their last outing, UAH jumped out to a 48-26 lead over Oakland City and cruised to a 99-72 victory on December 30th. JJ Kaplan scored 19 points off the bench, going 8-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from long range.

The defending GSC champions are 2nd in the conference in field goal percentage (.491) and 3rd in three-point percentage (.407). The Chargers have hit nearly 12 three-pointers per game, which leads league.

Justin Ward (20.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) leads the team in scoring and rebounding and has enjoyed success in A.E. Wood Coliseum. As a freshman in 2014-15, he scored 30 points off the bench, going 10-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. Chayse Elliott (12.1 ppg) is also averaging in double-figures for the Chargers.
 

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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.