LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- For the first time since the 1994-95 season, the Mississippi College women's basketball team earned a berth to the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 29, with a 70-62 victory at the University of West Alabama.
 
Mississippi College travels to Cleveland, Tenn., to face Lee University to open the GSC Tournament. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. central.
 
Four Lady Choctaws scored in double figures led by Moriah Hurst with 18 points. Zariah Matthews added 15 points while Coco Hobson poured in 13. Kaitlyn Thompson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. Hobson also grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds for a double-double.
 
MC 46.2 percent from the floor in the game, including a clip of 38.9 from behind the arc. The Lady Choctaws connected on 15-of-24 from the free throw line.
 
Bria Dent led the Tigers with a double-double that included roster-bests 16 points and 16 rebounds. UWA shot 42.3 percent from the field, 31.3 from the 3-point line and 65.0 percent from the charity stripe.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Choctaws held a 23-17 advantage following the first 10 minutes of play. MC trailed for only 12 seconds of the period as UWA grabbed a 13-11 advantage at the 4:49 mark, but a Mikeba Jones 3-pointer placed MC back in front 14-13 and the Navy and Gold never trailed again the remainder of the contest.
- MC held as much as a nine-point lead during the second quarter, but the Tigers cut into the lead and trailed 40-35 at the break.
- The Lady Choctaws grabbed a double-digit lead at the 6:36 mark of the third quarter, behind a trey from Hurst, and grabbed their largest lead of the game on a pair of free throws from Jeyla Smith with a minute left in the third.
- West Alabama pulled within six points, 68-62, with just under three minutes left in the game, but the Lady Choctaws picked up buckets from Matthews and Jones to ice the game down the stretch.
 
KEY STATS
- The victory was the first for the Lady Choctaws in Livingston since 1997.
- Hobson's double-double marked the sixth of the season and her career 10th.
- Hurst's scoring effort was the second straight game as the leading scorer and her fourth time this season.
 

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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.