CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team tied its best start under during the Greg Long era as it bested Auburn University at Montgomery, 77-73, in overtime. MC improved to 7-3 on the season and 3-1 in Gulf South Conference action.
 
The Blue and Gold started 7-3 during the 2021-22 campaign and finished the season 15-13 with a berth in the GSC Tournament.
 
A trio of Choctaw scored in double figures, led by Tytiana Buckley with a career-high 25 points. It is the third 20-plus performance of the season for the team and bested her previous mark of 12 points against Tougaloo College earlier this season.
 
Tiara Abron finished three points shy of her third 20-plus point effort as she totaled 17 points. Alexis Rowe added 10 points to round out the scoring triplets.
 
Keller Bigham paced the squad on the glass with nine rebounds – one shy of her season-high. Abron grabbed eight boards to finish second on the team and narrowly missing the team's first double-double of the season.
 
MC shot 42.6 percent from the field in the contest and nabbed 43 rebounds. It is the fourth time this season the team has totaled 40-plus boards and the first in conference action.
 
A back and fourth affair throughout, the Choctaws slipped out to a 10-point advantage early in the fourth period as Abron scored in the paint. However, the Orange and Black erased the margin and grabbed its first lead since the 7:28 mark of the third stanza on a Trinity Hambright second-chance jumper with 4:44 remaining in regulation.
 
The two teams exchanged leads over the final four-plus minutes, but a pair of free throws from Allasha Dudley put the Warhawks up 68-65 with seven seconds. Dudley led AUM with 23 points – one of two Warhawks with 20 or more points in the game – as Samya Brooks poured in 20.
 
Nia Coleman answered with a 3-pointer four ticks later to send the contest to the extra period. It was one of two for her on the afternoon and seven for the squad in the outing.
 
In the overtime, Abron placed the Choctaw up for good, 73-71, with 28 seconds left as she scored on a second-change layup. Buckley converted on one of two free throws to push the lead to three points 14 ticks later. AUM pulled within a point, but the Blue and Gold drained three of its next four free throws to ice the contest.
  
Mississippi College returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 19 as it travels to the Rocket City to continue conference play at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.