PENSACOLA, Fla. --- Mississippi College came up short on the road Saturday evening in Gulf South Conference, falling to West Florida by a final score of 69-62.

The Argos jumped out to a quick lead in the first half, starting off the contest on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes of action. Back-to-back layups by Justin Reid and Miles Miller would put the first couple of points on the board for the Choctaws, closing the early deficit to 7-4 with 17:01 on the clock.

Midway through the half, the Argos controlled the score by eight points, 21-13, yet an 8-3 stretch by MC drew the Choctaws to within a one-possession game at 24-21 with just over five minutes left remaining in the half. 

West Florida closed out the final five minutes of the half on an 8-2 stretch of their own, going into the break with a 32-23 lead over the Choctaws.

Justin Reid led the Choctaws with six points at the break, with Miles Miller tallying five first half points, and Galen Smith with four points. Miller also had six rebounds and four assists in the first 20 minutes of action. 

Right out of the gate in the second half of play, MC opened up with five straight points, with the help of a three-pointer by Trey Bates III and a layup by Galen Smith, closing the Argos lead to 32-28.

The home team halted the Choctaws run, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to jump out to a 10-point advantage, 38-28, with 17:18 left.

UWF utilized a 10-4 run over the next five minutes to gain a 16-point cushion with 12 minutes on the clock, leading the game over MC by a score of 48-32.

With 1:57 remaining in the game, Bates III knocked down another three-point shot, trimming the Argo lead to seven points just under the two minute mark left in regulation.

Despite closing the gap at the end of the game, MC fell to the Argos by a final score of 69-62.

Miller led MC on the night with a double-double, and a near triple-double, totaling 10 assists, nine rebounds, while finishing with 14 points.

Smith ended his night totaling 14 points while also bringing in eight rebounds. Reid capped off the night with 12 points on 5-on-7 shooting from the field.

Bates III has three made three-pointers in the game, finishing with nine points.

With Saturday's loss, MC closes out the road trip with an 11-9 overall record and 7-9 in GSC play.

The Choctaws return to the court again on Thursday, January 26, with a home contest versus Auburn Montgomery.

The two teams are set to tip-off begin fun at 7:30 p.m. at the A.E. Wood Coliseum in Clinton, Miss.
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