CLEVELAND, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team shot just 37% (18-of-49) from the floor as the fell to Delta State, 86-54, on Saturday afternoon in Sillers Coliseum.

The Choctaws had a two-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 7-17 with a 4-15 record in the Gulf South Conference. The Statesmen improved to 16-10 with a 12-7 league mark.
 

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TURNING POINT

- The Choctaws trailed 42-31 with 17:25 remaining, following a three-point play from senior Howard Thomas. DSU went on to score nine straight points and would not lead by less than 19 the rest of the way.
 

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KEY STATS

- The Choctaws were just 18-of-49 from the floor and went just 14-of-27 (52%) from the free throw line.
- Conversely, DSU shot 57% (30-of-53), including going 12-of-21 (57%) from the three-point line.
- The Choctaws turned the ball over 18 times and were credited with just six assists, a season-low, in the contest.
- Junior Brandon Boston led MC with 10 points, while senior Marcus Lytle and sophomore Dyllan Taylor each added nine.
- Brett Warner led all scorers with 18 points, going 6-of-7 from the three-point line, all in the second half.
- Matthew Wilson added 17 points, while Armon Benford finished just shy of a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED

- The Statesmen scored the first point of the game on a free throw, but Boston nailed a jumper moments later to give the Choctaws a 2-1 advantage.
- It would be the lone lead of the contest for the Choctaws as DSU pushed the lead out to as many as 16 in the opening 20 minutes.
- The Choctaws would cut the lead down to eight, but the Statesmen took a 34-23 lead into halftime.
- In the second half, Thomas' three-point play had the lead down to 42-31 with 17:21 to go, but the Statesmen scored nine straight points to take a 20-point lead.
- DSU took their largest lead of the night in the final minutes at 86-51 before Isiah Brown hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to give the game its final score.
 

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NEXT UP

- The Choctaws will be back in action Thursday night for "Senior Day" at A.E. Wood Coliseum as MC takes on West Alabama at 7:30 p.m. At halftime of the women's game, Isaiah Austin, Davy Fisher, Lytle and Thomas will all be recognized.
 

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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.