ROME, Ga. --- Mississippi College continued their winning ways on Friday night, defeating Shorter on the road by a final score of 73-68 in conference play.
The Choctaws got off to a slow start in the first half, falling behind 15-9 at the 12:44 mark, before going on an 8-2 run over the next two minutes of play, tying the game up at 17-17 with 10:07 on the clock.
MC and the Hawks remained knotted in a one possession contest, exchanging leads over the remaining minutes of the first half until a
Tradavis Thompson three-point made basket with two minutes and 40 seconds left until the break put the Blue and Gold up two possessions, 33-28.
Shorter finished out the half with a layup, cutting MC's lead down to one-point, as the Choctaws went into halftime leading by a score of 34-33.
The opening part of the second half was much like the first half, as both teams battled back-and-forth, remaining within a one possession contest of each other for the opening 10 minutes.
Midway through the start of the second half, Thompson once again knocked down a three pointer, pushing the MC lead out to seven points, 55-48.
Two minutes later, MC stretched their advantage to nine points, taking a 62-53 lead over the Hawks and continuing the 9-point pace through the next four minutes of action.
Shorter provided a layup with a minute and three seconds left in the game, making it a one possession contest, as MC held onto a slight advantage, 71-68.
Made free throws down the stretch by
Miles Miller with 20-seconds left in the action allowed Mississippi College to go on to win by a final score of 73-68 over the Hawks.
Mississippi College had three players with 30 minutes or more on the night with
Tradavis Thompson leading the way with 39 minutes on the court, while
Miles Miller had 38 minutes and
James Franklin with 34 minutes of action.
Thompson once again led MC with 23 points on the night on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor. It was his seventh contest of the season with 20 or more points and third in a row. The reigning GSC player of the week also led MC with three steals and was 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Paul Smith was second on the team with 13 points and also led the Choctaws with five rebounds, all offensively.
James Franklin found himself with double-digit points on the night, tallying 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field.
Miles Miller continued to dish the ball around, pacing the Choctaws with seven assists while also collecting four rebounds.
Mississippi College, as a team, finished 26-of-59 shooting from the floor while also providing 39 points in the paint and 21 points off of the bench.
MC improved to 8-4 overall on the season and 5-4 in GSC play. The Choctaws, through 12 games in 2022, have already passed last year's win total in which MC totaled seven wins.
The Blue and Gold will look for their third win in a row on Sunday, taking on Lee on the road beginning at 3 p.m. central time in Cleveland, Tenn.
