LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team shot over 50% from the floor but fell in a Gulf South Conference road game at West Alabama, 70-64, on Tuesday night in Pruitt Hall.

The Choctaws fell to 0-3 on the season, while the Tigers picked up a win in their first game of the season. The teams will finish the two-game series on Wednesday with a single game at 5:00 p.m. in Livingston.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Choctaws opened the game by jumping out to a 9-2 lead as Marko Jovanovic hit a jumper with 16:32 to go in the first half.
  - Winford Ross knocked down a shot with 8:36 to go in the opening 20 minutes and MC took their largest lead of the night at 24-15.
  - Antonio Cowart Jr. scored in the final minute for MC and the Choctaws would take a 30-26 lead into the halftime break.
  - The Tigers were the ones to get off to a fast start in the second half, scoring the first nine points and taking a 35-30 lead just over a minute into the final 20 minutes.
  - UWA would eventually push the lead out to as many as seven with 6:38 remaining as Justin Allison scored to make the tally 53-46.
  - The Choctaws roared back with nine straight points and when Cowart converted a three-point play, MC had a 55-53 advantage with 5:05 to go.
  - After the Tigers hit a three to re-gain the lead, Cowart knocked down a three and a jumper to finish an individual 8-0 run and give the Choctaws a 60-56 lead with 3:47 left.
  - UWA would answer, however, with an 11-1 run that would eventually put the game away, aided by four straight made free throws in one trip.
  - Cowart looked to get MC back in the game, converting on all three free throws after being fouled in the final minute and cutting the lead to just one possession.
  - The Tigers would hold on for the win as they knocked down a three-pointer as the shot clock expired in the final seconds.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws went 26-of-48 (54%) from the floor and held the Tigers to 27-of-61 (44%).
  - MC also held a 33-27 edge on the boards, including pulling down 25 defensive rebounds.
  - The Tigers would score 15 second-chance points and their bench would outscore MC's 24-4.
  - Brandon Boston led the way with 18 points for MC, going 7-of-10 from the floor.
  - Boston is now just 13 points away from 1,000 in his career.
  - Cowart was also in double-figures with 17 and a team-high four assists.
  - Marko Jovanovic scored seven points and had a team-high eight rebounds, while Dyllan Taylor had nine points and six boards.
  - Allison scored a game-high 20 points for the Tigers, also pulling down a team-high seven rebounds with five assists.
  - Shardarrion Allen came off the bench to score 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Mike Davis added 14.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The teams will play each other again on Wednesday in Livingston with a tip time of 5:00 p.m. in Pruitt Hall.
 

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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 18 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's and Women's 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.