CLINTON, Miss. --- Coaching a regular season basketball game for the first time in 11 years, Mike Jones led the Mississippi College men's basketball team to an 81-65 win over Belhaven University on Friday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Choctaws jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after buckets from junior Keevon Oney and senior Brandon Boston and a free throw from junior Winford Ross.
  - With 8:02 remaining in the first 20 minutes, junior Winceton Edwards knocked down a three to put the Choctaws ahead 22-13.
  - The Blazers would go on a run and when Ryan Dupree nailed a long ball, the score was just a one-point lead for MC at 25-24.
  - MC would score the next nine points, however, and would eventually take a 41-31 lead into the halftime break.
  - Edwards took over in the second half and went on an 8-0 run of his own, including a three-pointer that put the Choctaws ahead, 66-45, with 8:30 remaining.
  - The Blazers would not get any closer than 12 the rest of the way as the Choctaws cruised to the season-opening victory.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws shot just 38% (23-of-60) from the floor but held the Blazers to 34% (23-of-68).
  - MC hit 9-of-21 (43%) from the three-point line, led by Edwards, who went 4-of-8 from long range.
  - The Choctaws outrebounded the Blazers by a count of 39-29 and scored 14 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds.
  - Sophomore Zach Jones recorded his first career double-double, piling up career-highs for points (17) and rebounds (10) in the victory.
  - Edwards led the Choctaws with 22 points, going 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
  - Ross led the Choctaws with 13 rebounds, while sophomore Jacob Taylor had a team-high six assists.
  - Brosnan Cooks led the Blazers with 17 points, while Kelvin Pruitt had a team-high seven rebounds.
 

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GAME NOTES
  - The win for Coach Jones was the 445th of his career and 333rd in his 17 years as the head coach at MC.
  - He is now 213-27 (.888) all-time in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
  - The Choctaws are now 58-29 all-time against the Blazers, including winning 33-of-39 meetings in Clinton.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will be back in action on Saturday night when they host Blue Mountain College at 7:00 p.m. 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 recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began 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.