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The Mississippi College men’s basketball team opened Gulf South Conference play with a 68-65 victory over West Alabama on Thursday night in Pruitt Hall.
The Choctaws (2-1, 1-0 GSC) had to hang on down the stretch, leading 62-48 with 3:29 remaining when sophomore Stacey Mackscored on an assist from junior DeOndre Haynes.
The Tigers (3-3, 0-1 GSC) went on a 14-2 run to cut the score to 64-62 with just under a minute remaining.
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Haynes, Mack and senior Johnny Rucker all knocked down big free throws in the final minute to give MC their first win over West Alabama since the 1997 season.
The Choctaws lit it up from the field, shooting 53% (24-of-45) from the field and 44% (7-of-16) from the three-point line.
Rucker’s long ball with 18:58 to go in the first half gave MC their 461st straight game with a three-point make, dating back to March 5, 1998 vs. Sewanee.
The first half was full of runs as the Choctaws jumped out to an 8-4 lead, but a 10-0 run by the Tigers gave them their first lead of the game.
MC would answer with a 12-0 run of their own, and senior Tristan Moore made a jumper with 5:15 remaining to give MC a 24-18 lead. They would go on to take a 27-24 advantage into halftime.
In the second half, the Choctaws pushed their lead out to 14 points on several occasions and the defense did not allow a UWA field goal for a 7-minute stretch in the middle of the period.
Senior Tory Rice led the Choctaws with 16 points and eight rebounds, going 7-of-9 from the field. Moore (13) and Rucker (12) were also in double-figures on the night.
Sophomore Antonio Johnson scored a career-high eight points with a career-high six assists in the contest.
Jahmal Lane led the Tigers with 16 points, while Dakari Mayo had eight points and five blocked shots.
The Choctaws will be back in action on Sunday when they travel to Carrollton, Ga. to face West Georgia at 4:00 p.m. (ET) in The Coliseum.
