CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team let its final non-conference contest slip away as the Choctaws (4-2) fell 53-50 to Henderson State University on Tuesday, Nov. 26 inside A.E. Wood Coliseum.
 
A pair of Choctaws scored in double figures led by Keller Bigham's career-high 16 points. The Warren, Ark., native's previous high was 15 at LeMoyne-Owen College on Nov. 11, 2023. Tiara Abron added 10 points. Bigham and Abron have scored 10-plus points in five of their six contests this season. Bigham and Amelia Bell tied for tops on the team with six rebounds.
 
MC shot 37.5 percent from the field and connected on 12-of-13 free throws for a 92.3 clip. The squad collected 37 rebounds in the setback.
 
The Choctaw held the lead after the first three quarters, but were outscored 17 to 10 in the final 10 minutes as MC shot under 20 percent in the period. The Blue and Gold connected on all six of their free throws in the stanza.
 
MC held a 10-point advantage with just over seven minutes to play, but the Reddies went on a 17-4 run to ice the contest. HSU knotted the game at 48-all and grabbed its first lead with 2:36 remaining as MaKenna Winans knocked down a jumper following an offensive rebound. Abron tied the contest 24 seconds later on two free throws.
 
The Red and White grabbed its last lead as Jadah Pickens drained a 3-pointer with 1:48 left to play to grab a 53-50 advantage. Pickens paced the Reddies with 20 points as HSU shot 37.3 percent from the floor and totaled 32 boards.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 5 as it opens Gulf South Conference play in Memphis, Tenn., against Christian Brothers University. Tip-off is 5 p.m. in Canale Arena.