CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will open a tough road trip on Thursday night when they head to Georgia to face Valdosta State University. Tip-off at The Complex is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (Central).

The Choctaws will head to Pensacola on Saturday to face West Florida at 4:00 p.m.
 

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GAME INFORMATION

Matchup: Mississippi College (5-15, 2-13 GSC) vs. Valdosta State (18-5, 11-4 GSC)
Date: Thursday, February 14th, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Central)
Location: Valdosta, Ga. | The Complex

Matchup: Mississippi College (5-16, 2-14 GSC) vs. West Florida (11-14, 7-10 GSC)
Date: Thursday, February 16th, 2019
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Pensacola, Fla. | UWF Field House
 

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SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

The Choctaws are led by 15th-year head coach Don Lofton, who has posted a career record of 217-171 (.560). He is joined on the bench by first-year assistant coach Alex Ainsworth and former Choctaw Otis Harvey as a graduate assistant. The Choctaws had five players score in double-figures at Valdosta State on Thursday, but the Blazers grabbed the 106-90 victory.

Senior Howard Thomas (4.9 ppg) earned his first career start on Thursday against VSU and led the team with a career-high 16 points and six rebounds. The McNeese State transfer went 8-of-11 from the floor and averaged 1.0 point per minute played.

Junior Brandon Boston (14.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) is the team's leading scorer and rebounder and has put up double-figure points in all but two games this season. Senior Marcus Lytle (12.7 ppg) tied a season-high with three made three-pointers on Thursday, while sophomore Dyllan Taylor (11.0 ppg) tied a career-high with eight assists.
 

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SCOUTING VALDOSTA STATE

The Blazers are led by 14th-year head coach Mike Helfer, who has his team sitting in 3rd in the GSC standings and having already clinched a tournament berth. After losing 3-of-4 games in late January, VSU has run off four straight, including a 110-75 win over Shorter in their last outing (Feb. 9).

Beau Justice (21.5 ppg) ranks 2nd in the league in scoring and is shooting 42% from the three-point line and 85% from the foul line. Winston Morgan (13.3 ppg) is shooting 45% from long range, while Clay Guillozet (13.2 ppg) leads the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game. Desmond DeRamus (8.2 ppg) is a transfer from Auburn Montgomery and has a team-best 107 assists.
 

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SCOUTING WEST FLORIDA

The Argos, led by 4th-year head coach Jeff Burkhamer, are currently sitting one spot out of the conference tournament picture with just three games remaining. After opening the year with an 0-7 record in league play, they have gone 7-3.

Jon Brown (14.2 ppg) is the team's leading scorer and put up 14 points with 15 rebounds in the win over MC earlier this season. Rashaan Benson (12.8 ppg) leads the squad with 92 assists and had a team-high 17 in the victory over the Choctaws. Maxwell Benoit (11.6 ppg) and Jarrett Henderson (11.3 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures, while Henderson has a team-high 7.2 rebounds per contest.
 

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SERIES NOTES

This will be the 36th all-time meeting between the two schools with VSU holding a narrow 18-17 edge in the series.

MC won the first three contests after moving back to Division II and the GSC, but the Blazers have now won five straight, including a 95-77 win in Clinton on January 10th.

Senior Marcus Lytle and sophomore Dyllan Taylor each led MC with 17 points.

This will be the 14th all-time meeting between the two schools with the Argonauts holding a 9-4 edge in the series.

UWF has won six straight, including a 72-59 victory in Clinton on January 12th.

Senior Marcus Lytle led the Choctaws with 20 points, while junior Brandon Boston poured in 12 with eight rebounds and junior Tre Jenkins scored 11.
 

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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 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.