CARROLLTON, Ga. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team closed out the 2023-24 regular season with a 69-49 setback at the University of West Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The outcome moves to the Choctaws to 13-14 on the season and 13-11 in Gulf South Conference action. UWG improves to 16-11 and 12-11 in league play.
 
The result places the Blue and Gold in a two-way tie for sixth alongside the University of West Florida.
 
Kyiah Julian and Keller Bigham recorded double figures in the scoring column for MC. Julian notched a team-best 16 points for her 12th game this season with 10-or-more points. It also stands as her career 43rd.
 
Bigham scored in double digits for the second straight game as she added 11 points. It is her third game in the last five with 10-plus and her fifth of her career. The Warren, Ark., native fell a rebound shy of her second career double-double and first of the season as she gathered a season-high nine boards. The total surpassed her previous high of eight set Saturday, Feb. 24 against Delta State University.
 
The Blue and Gold posted a 34.0 shooting clip from the floor in the contest, including going 7-for-17 from behind the arc for 41.2 percent. The squad struggled at the free throw line as it connected on 8-for-17 for 47.1 percent alongside just 27 rebounds.
 
Aliyah Washington paced the Wolves with 21 points as she tied a trio of teammates with seven rebounds. UWG shot 40.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the 3-point. However, they made the most of their chances from the charity stripe, hitting 20-of-28 for 71.4 percent and grabbed 42 rebounds. They are just the fifth team this season to grab 40-plus boards against the Choctaws.
 
MC held a 14-11 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of action, but surrendered a 20-9 scoring output in the second stanza to head into the locker room trailing 31-23. UWG picked up where it left off in the early minutes of the third quarter as it raced out to a 37-25 lead with under eight to play in the period.
 
The Choctaws trimmed the deficit back to single digits a little over a minute and half later on a jumper from Nia Coleman, but again the lead grew to double figures. Bigham knocked down a 3-pointer with four and half left in the third quarter, narrowing the margin back to nine points, but the Wolves closed the period out on a 6-3 run to extend the deficit to double figures and never looked back.
 
Mississippi College now sits and awaits its GSC Tournament opponent. The top eight teams in the GSC advance to the conference tournament with the top four seeds hosting first-round match-ups on their home floors. The top four from the quarterfinal tilts on March 5 advance to Birmingham, Ala., and the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University for the semifinals on Saturday, March 9 and GSC title game on Sunday, March 10.

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