ROME, Ga. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team scored 59 second-half points, shooting 68% (19-of-28) from the floor, in a 96-85 win over Shorter University on Monday night in the Winthrop-King Centre.

The Choctaws improved to 9-8 on the season with a 6-6 mark in the Gulf South Conference, while the Hawks fell to 3-16 and 3-8 in league play. This was MC's first-ever win over Shorter after falling in the previous six meetings since re-joining Division II prior to the 2014-15 academic year.
 

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HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior Donovan Ham scored a career-high 31 points, going 12-of-20 from the floor.
- Sophomore Tucker Campbell also scored a career-high 20 points, knocking down 10-of-14 free throws in 26 minutes.
 

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TURNING POINT
- After trailing 41-37 at halftime, the Choctaws led just 58-57 with 13:29 remaining in the game after a three-pointer by TayVaughn Major of Shorter. MC would go on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes, capped by a layup from junior Donovan Ham to make the score 69-59. The Hawks would cut the lead back down to four but could get no closer as the Choctaws picked up their second straight road win after an 87-75 win over Lee on Saturday afternoon.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half went back and forth over the first nine minutes, but the Hawks would go on the initial run of the game, using a 14-1 sprint to grab their largest lead of the night at 29-19 with 7:30 to go.
- The Choctaws would answer back with six straight points and would get the lead down to as few as one, but a three-pointer by Amonte Potter in the final seconds gave Shorter a 41-37 lead at the break.
- MC would quickly close the gap, but with 15:04 remaining, Major scored and gave the Hawks a 52-51 advantage, which would be their last lead of the night.
- The Choctaws used the 11-2 run over a three-minute span to take control of the game.
- Jonathan Mason would hit a three-pointer for the Hawks with 6:16 remaining to make the score 76-72 but could get no closer as MC held on for their 9th win of the season.
 

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KEY STATS
- In the second half, MC was efficient on the offensive end, shooting 68% from the floor, 56% (5-of-9) from the three-point line and 73% (16-of-22) from the free throw line.
- For the game, the Choctaws shot 57% from the field and outrebounded the Hawks by a count of 41-31.
- Ham scored a game-high 31 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, while Campbell also added a season-high 20 with eight boards.
- Sophomore Brandon Boston, who scored a career-high 32 against Lee, came back with 23 points on 11-of-1 shooting with eight rebounds and two blocked shots Monday night.
- Senior Antonio Johnson was also in double-figures, scoring 17, including going 5-of-8 from the three-point line with eight rebounds.
- The Hawks had five players score in double-figures with Major scoring a team-high 24 on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
- Josh Burnett tallied a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will welcome rival Delta State to Clinton on Saturday as the two teams are set for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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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.