CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team could not overcome a tough shooting night from the floor in the first half as Union took advantage and picked up a 77-65 victory on Saturday afternoon in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The Choctaws fell to 5-15 overall with a 2-13 record in the Gulf South Conference, while the Bulldogs improved to 15-8 and 10-5 in the league.
 

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TURNING POINT

The game was tight over the first 20 minutes, despite MC going just 8-of-27 (30%) from the field, but the Bulldogs used a late 7-0 run to take a 35-26 lead into the break.
 

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KEY STATS

The Choctaws did improve in the second half, shooting over 50%, giving them a 23-of-56 (41%) clip on the night.

The Bulldogs shot 26-of-50 (52%) and went 9-of-18 (50%) from the three-point line in the contest.

Union outrebounded MC, 35-27, but the Choctaws had 14 fast-break points to just three for the Bulldogs.

Senior Marcus Lytle (15 pts) led the Choctaws in scoring, followed closely by junior Tre Jenkins (14).

Junior Brandon Boston had a team-high eight rebounds but had his 17-game double-figure scoring streak snapped with six points.

Senior Howard Thomas scored a career-high nine points and pulled down five rebounds off the bench.

LiDonta Hicks-Gentry led all scorers with 21 for Union off the bench, going 8-of-12 from the floor.

Terrandus Smith also scored 20 for the Bulldogs.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half was a back-and-forth affair as both teams made runs, but when Lytle hit a pair of free throws with 9:57 remaining, the Choctaws had a 13-11 lead.

The Bulldogs hit a three-pointer on the next possession and would not trail the rest of the night.

MC would get the advantage down to 28-26 with 3:08 to go but could not score the rest of the half as Union took a 35-26 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Union grabbed their first double-figure lead of the night at 45-33 and they would maintain at least a 10-point advantage through the rest of the game.
 

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NEXT UP

The Choctaws will be back in action on Thursday night when they travel to Georgia to face Valdosta State at 7:00 p.m. (Central).
 

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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.