CLINTON, Miss. --- Trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half, the Mississippi College men's basketball team cut the deficit down to 51-50 in the final minutes, but Blue Mountain held on for a 62-54 win on Saturday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The Choctaws (1-1) held the Toppers to just 32% shooting in the second half, but MC turned the ball over 20 times in the defeat.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Toppers were hot out of the gate, using an 8-0 run to take a 10-2 lead with 14:54 remaining in the first half.
  - The first double-figure lead of the game came with 12:43 to go when Da'Juonta Ross threw down a dunk to go ahead, 16-6.
  - The Toppers really took charge when they went on a 13-1 sprint to take their largest lead of the night at 29-11 with 7:20 to go.
  - The Choctaws would chip away at the deficit and eventually cut the score to 37-26 at halftime.
  - After Blue Mountain scored the opening bucket of the second half, MC went on a 12-0 run, capped by a dunk from junior Winford Ross on an assist from Winceton Edwards to make the score 39-38.
  - The Choctaws were never able to take the lead, however, but they were able to keep the game within five points, cutting the score back to 51-50 with 3:33 to go.
  - That was as close as MC would get as BMC went on an 11-0 run to put the game away.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws shot 39% (19-of-49) from the field, but they hit 11-of-27 (41%) in the second half.
  - MC also went just 13-of-22 (59%) from the free throw line on the night.
  - Edwards led the Choctaws with 19 points, going 6-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line.
  - Ross was also in double-figures with 16 points and five rebounds.
  - Sophomore Zach Jones had a team-high nine rebounds.
  - Lukas Durasas led the Toppers with a double-double, scoring 11 points with 12 rebounds.
  - Brandon Williams had a team-high 14 points on the night.
 

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GAME NOTES
  - Tonight's game was the first-ever meeting between MC and Blue Mountain.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will be back at home on Tuesday night to host Southeastern Baptist at 7:30 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.