CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team shot 62% (38-of-61) from the floor as they used a big second half run to take down Shorter University, 85-68, on Wednesday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The Choctaws improved to 7-16 on the year with a 4-14 Gulf South Conference record, while the Hawks fell to 2-24 and 0-18 in league play.
 

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TURNING POINT

- The Choctaw lead was 59-51 with 12:21 remaining in the contest before MC scored 11 straight points, capped off by a three-pointer from junior Tre Jenkins with 8:37 to go to take the largest lead of the night at 70-61.
 

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KEY STATS

- The Choctaws went 21-of-32 from the field in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 47-31 in the final 20 minutes.
- The MC defense held Shorter to 21-of-46 (46%) from the floor, making them 6-0 this season when they shoot better than their opponents.
- The Hawks stayed in the game at the free throw line, knocking down 21-of-28, while the Choctaws were just 5-of-10.
- The foul discrepancy was also noticeable as 22 fouls were called on MC with just 12 on Shorter.
- MC outscored Shorter in the paint, 58-32, and also had 33 rebounds to just 20 for the Hawks.
- Junior Brandon Boston led all scorers with 21 points, going 10-of-17 from the floor with five rebounds.
- Sophomore Dyllan Taylor added 16 points and tied a career-high with eight assists to go along with seven rebounds.
- Seniors Marcus Lytle (17) and Howard Thomas (16) also scored in double-figures for the Choctaws.
- TayVaughn Major led the Hawks with 16 points, going 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED

- Thomas scored the game's first basket with 19:09 remaining to give the Choctaws a quick 2-0 lead.
- MC would eventually push the lead out to as many as seven on several occasions in the first half.
- Shorter would not go away, however, cutting into the advantage and even taking a lead of their own at 29-27 with 5:28 to go in the first 20 minutes.
- The score would remain close over the final minutes and the Choctaws would take a 38-37 lead into the break.
- The teams traded baskets out of halftime, but the Choctaws would start pulling away as they pushed the advantage out to 59-51 with 12:21 to go.
- MC would score the next 11 points, led by six straight from Thomas and take their largest lead of the night at 70-51.
- The Choctaws would not lead by less than 15 the rest of the way as they won consecutive games for the first time this season.
 

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NEXT UP

- The Choctaws will travel to Cleveland on Saturday to face rival Delta State at 4:00 p.m. in Sillers 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 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.