CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team fell 60-54 to the University of West Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 26 inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. MC moved to 3-4 on the season and in the Gulf South Conference while West Alabama improved to 5-3 and 4-3 in the league.
 
Mikeba Jones led the Lady Choctaws has she recorded a double-double with 10 points and a team-best 11 rebounds. Alana Canady tied Jones for tops on the team with 10 points.
 
MC shot 32.0 percent from the field and was 18-of-22 from the free throw line for 81.8 percent. The Lady Choctaws pulled down 30 rebounds.
 
UWA was led by Bria Dent with 17 points. Naelyn Rios added 14 points as Tazsa Garrett-Hammett supplied 12 points. Rios also paced the Red and White on the glass with eight rebounds.
 
The Tigers shot 51.0 percent from the floor and shot 50 percent from the free throw line with 8-for-16. UWA grabbed a total of 34 rebounds as a team.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a back-and-forth opening quarter, which saw MC hold as much as a six-point advantage, the Navy and Gold grabbed its largest lead of the game, 20-11, early in the second quarter behind a jumper from Canady. UWA chipped away at the margin, but couldn't pull within more than three points and trailed 26-23 at the break.
- Both teams exchanged leads through the first five minutes of play in the third quarter, but the Tigers broke a 31-all deadlock on a layup from Dent with 3:35 left in the period. The bucket sparked a 10-3 run to close out the third and sent UWA up 41-34 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
- West Alabama grabbed its largest lead of the game, nine points, less than a minute into the final stanza on a layup from Garrett-Hammett. MC attempted to rally in the late minutes of the game, but couldn't overcome the deficit as it pulled no closer than within five points the rest of the way.
 
KEY NOTES
- The double-double from Mikeba Jones marked the second of her career. Her first came on Jan. 9, 2020 at Valdosta State (13 points, 11 rebounds).
- Jones' 11 rebounds marked a season-high for the junior and stood just two off from matching her career-high.
- Canday's 10-point effort marked her third time this season in double figures and was one-point shy of matching her season and GSC-high.
- Darien Tubby recorded a career-high with six assists. She leads the team with 31 and ranks third in the conference in dishes.
- Rivers Futral reset her career-high in steals with a pair.
- The setback ended a three-game win streak against West Alabama. It's the Tigers' first win in Clinton since Jan. 23, 2016.
- West Alabama outscored the Lady Choctaws 44-20 in the paint and limited MC to just 11 offensive rebounds while it grabbed 23 defensive boards.
- With the 81.8 clip from the free throw line, MC has shot 80-percent or better from the stripe in four games this season.
 
NEXT UP
Mississippi College returns to action this weekend as it travels to Memphis, Tenn., for two games against Christian Brothers University. The weekend slate begins on Friday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. while Saturday's tip-off in Canale Arena is slated for 2 p.m.