CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team dropped a 62-41 non-conference outing against the University of Arkansas at Monticello on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The setback marked the first of the season for the Lady Choctaws.

Zariah Matthews and Mikeba Jones tied for tops of the team with 11 points. Jones paced the squad with eight rebounds while Moriah Hurst grabbed seven boards.

MC shot 27.7 percent from the field, including 1-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. The Lady Choctaws connected on 73.7 percent from the free throw line. UAM shot 41.7 percent from the field and was 2-for-13 from behind the arc. The Cotton Blossoms shot 71.4 percent from the free throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

- Tied 17-all at the end of the first 10 minutes, UAM outscored the Lady Choctaws 18-7 in the second quarter to take a 35-24 lead at the break.

- UAM expanded its lead by outscoring the Navy and Gold 14-11 in the third period as it used a 9-0 run during the quarter.

- The Cotton Blossoms reached their largest lead of the game, 23 points, with 4:24 left in the game on a pair of free throws from Kyiah Julian.

KEY NOTES

- The loss evens the series at three wins each and is the first by the Cotton Blossoms since 1996.

- The Navy and Gold managed just 24 points after the first 10 minutes of action.

- UAM outscored the Lady Choctaws by 20 in paint on the night while the bench provided 17 points to the Lady Choctaws 2.

NEXT UP

Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 16 as it hosts Southern Arkansas University.