CLINTON, Miss. --- Head coach Mike Jones won his 450th career game as the Mississippi College men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-69 victory over Shorter on Saturday afternoon at A.E. Wood Coliseum.

The Choctaws improved to 6-6 with a 2-4 Gulf South Conference record, while the Hawks fell to 3-10 with an 0-5 league record.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Hawks took their largest lead of the night in the first 11 seconds as Ja'Cori Wilson nailed a three-pointer to put Shorter ahead 3-0.
  - The Choctaws would score the next four points and stake their claim to a 21-13 advantage with 10:28 remaining in the first 20 minutes on a three-pointer from TJ Ben.
  - The Hawks responded, however, and when Kelan Walker scored with 8:35 remaining, it capped an 8-0 run to knot the score at 21-21.
  - The Choctaws scored six straight points and would hold the lead the rest of the night, including a 40-33 advantage at the halftime break.
  - Willie Logan drove in for a dunk with 12:44 remaining and the Choctaws would have their first double-digit lead of the night at 50-39.
  - The Choctaws would continue to hold Shorter off at a safe distance and when Zach Jones scored with 7:09 remaining, MC held their largest lead of the night at 65-52.
  - The Hawks chipped away at the advantage and when Wilson hit another three-pointer with 4:06 remaining, the MC lead was down to 67-62.
  - Another three-pointer by Wilson with 1:44 remaining brought Shorter to the closest they had been since the first half, making the score 71-69.
  - The Choctaws would score the final eight points of the game, however, and walk away with the 10-point victory.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaw defense held Shorter to just 34% (24-of-71) shooting from the field, their best defensive field goal percentage since the opener against Belhaven.
  - MC went 25-of-58 (43%) from the floor and was 25-of-35 (71%) from the free throw line, including hitting six down the stretch to clinch the victory.
  - Winford Ross scored a season-high and game-high 24 points for the Choctaws, going 7-of-13 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line.
  - Jacob Taylor also tallied a career-high 20 points in the victory, hitting 5-of-11 shots from the floor and 9-of-10 free throws.
  - Zach Jones pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, which is tied for the second-most for a Gulf South Conference player this season.
  - Ross also blocked seven shots for the Choctaws, which is the most for a Choctaw since 2014 when Kelvin Smith blocked six shots.
  - Wilson and Bryan Polanco each led the Hawks with 15 points, while Keeving Etienne ahd a team-high nine rebounds.
 

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GAME NOTES
  - Coach Jones has now won 338 games at Mississippi College with 112 wins at Copiah-Lincoln Community College (1984-88).
  - Jones' first win came on November 28, 1988 with an 84-80 win over Alcorn State.
  - The Choctaws have now won three straight against Shorter.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Georgia to face Valdosta State on January 9th at 7:00 p.m. (Central).
  - The next home game is scheduled for Thursday, January 16th when MC hosts Christian Brothers at 7:30 p.m.
 

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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.