CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team started the new year with a 73-51 win in Gulf South Conference play against the University of West Georgia. MC improved to 8-5 on the season and 5-3 in conference action. The Wolves fall to 6-7 and 3-5 in the league.
 
The victory snapped a five-game slide to UWG in the series and gave MC its first win since Jan. 9, 2017.
 
Ally Alford posted a team-high 23 points as she hit 5-of-9 from behind the arc and 8-for-15 from the floor. The Batesville, Miss., native also tied for tops on the team with seven rebounds, which matched a season-high.
 
It's the fifth time this season Alford has led the team in scoring – the most by any Choctaw - and her fourth with 20-plus. The 23 points is her second highest total this season behind her high of 27 points set on Dec. 18 against Union.
 
Alana Canady joined Alford in double figures scoring along with seven boards as she chimed in 14. Amelia Bell added 12 points while Taylor Ben also grabbed seven boards.
 
The Choctaws shot 50 percent from the floor, including a 52.9 clip from the 3-point line. The Navy and Gold pulled down 38 rebounds.
 
"So happy for the win and it was really important that we started the semester well," said head coach Greg Long. "I had some concerns with such a long lay off and you could tell it affected us, but I was pleased with how the team responded. They play hard and that made things happen for us tonight and it really showed."

Zaria Bankston paced the Red and Blue with 11 points while Jaylin Austin had seven rebounds. The Wolves shot 31.6 percent from the field, but struggled from behind the arc at 20 percent. They managed 33 boards in the contest.
 
MC led the for all, but 1:33 of the contest as the two teams exchanged leads through the first four minutes of action. Kyiah Julian knocked down a 3-pointer at the 6:08 mark to give the Navy and Gold a 12-10 lead and it never looked back. The Choctaws reached a double-digit advantage at the 1:50 mark of the opening quarter. MC saw its lead expand to 34-21 at the half.
 
The Choctaws grabbed its first 20-point lead at the 3:43 mark of the third as Canady scored in the paint off an assist from Dezirae King. The home team grabbed its largest lead of the game, 62-33, on a fast break layup from Julian off a UWG turnover.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 13 as it travels to Pensacola, Fla. Tip-off at the University of West Florida is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.