CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team opened the 2018-19 season with a 97-80 victory over Belhaven University on Friday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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TURNING POINT

- The Choctaws led just 35-32 with 3:47 remaining in the first half, but a 12-2 run to close the half gave them their largest lead of the period with a 47-35 halftime advantage.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED

- The Blazers would score the game's first point, and when Kelvin Pruitt made 1-of-2 free throws with 16:41 remaining in the first half, Belhaven would have an 8-7 lead.
- The Choctaws went on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to grab a 20-9 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the night.
- Belhaven would keep things close and a layup by Brosnan Cooks with 3:47 to go made the score 35-32 in favor of the Choctaws.
- Junior Tre Jenkins would make a pair of three-pointers to grow the lead and a jumper by junior Trai James in the final seconds gave MC a 47-34 lead at the break.
- In the second half, Rick Hodum drilled a long ball for the Blazers and cut the lead to 59-52, but it was the closest they would get the rest of the night.
- The Choctaws used an 8-0 run, and when Marcus Lytle hit a three-pointer with 4:07 remaining, MC had their largest lead of the night at 89-66.
 

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KEY STATS

- The Choctaws would shoot 20-of-31 (64.5%) from the floor in the second half, finishing 37-of-69 (53.6%) on the night.
- MC would also go 16-of-18 (88.9%) from the free throw line, while the Blazers were 23-of-33 (69.7%).
- Junior Brandon Boston led the Choctaws with a double-double, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds, going 8-of-14 from the field.
- Junior Isaiah Austin (15), senior Donovan Ham (14), sophomore Dyllan Taylor (12) and Jenkins (11) also scored in double-figures for the Choctaws.
- Taylor led the Choctaws with eight assists on the night as MC posted 22 total helpers on 37 made baskets.
- Tommy McCoy led the Blazers with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Cooks scored 16 and Laramie Long added 11.
- McCoy also had a team-high six assists in the contest.
 

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NEXT UP

- The Choctaws will be back at home on Monday (Nov. 12) night when they host Talladega College at 7:00 p.m.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC 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 2018-19 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.