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Senior Jonathan McGee‘s layup with two seconds remaining gave the Mississippi College men’s basketball team an 89-88 victory at Gulf South Conference-leading Valdosta State on Saturday afternoon in The Complex.
The Choctaws (4-4, 3-3 GSC) finished off a road sweep of West Florida and VSU to close out the 2015 portion of their schedule as senior Johnny Rucker scored a season-high 24 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
McGee poured in 16 points, including the final five of the game. The Raymond native converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 46 seconds remaining to give MC an 87-86 advantage.
The Blazers (8-3, 4-2 GSC) answered back with a go-ahead layup as Saadiq Muhammad scored on an assist from Josh Lemons, setting up the game-winner from McGee.
Both teams were hot from the floor with the Choctaws shooting 56% (32-of-57) and the Blazers shooting 55% (36-of-66).
Led by senior Tristan Moore scoring 13 points in the first half, the Choctaws would take a 38-34 advantage into the break. The Senatobia native finished with 18 points before fouling out with two minutes to play.
The Blazers quickly erased the deficit in the opening minutes of the second half, and the teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way with neither team grabbing more than a four-point lead in the final 20 minutes.
In overtime, Valdosta jumped out to an 82-78 lead, scoring the first four points of the extra period. Rucker would go on to score six straight to get the Choctaws back in the game and set up McGee’s heroics in the final minute.
The Choctaws put four players in double-figure scoring, as senior Tory Rice scored 13 points with 12 rebounds. The Starkville native recorded his 5th double-double of the season and 18th of his career.
Chris Longoria, who had only scored two points in two games on the season, led the Blazers with 28 points, going 10-of-19 from the field and 5-of-11 from the three-point line. Muhammad and Blake Justice each finished with 15 points.
The Choctaws will be back in action in 2016 when they will host Alabama Huntsville at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 2nd.
GAME NOTES
– MC is now 17-13 all-time against Valdosta, including going 5-10 when the teams play in Georgia.
– The Choctaws played their first overtime game of the season, while the Blazers played their fourth overtime contest of the season, going 1-3 in those games.
– The Choctaws were 1-0 in overtime last season, picking up a 92-88 victory in double-overtime at West Florida (Feb. 7).
– Rucker scored a season-high 24 points in the game. His career-high was 26 points in last year’s game against West Georgia in Clinton (Dec. 6).
– McGee made a season-high three three-pointers in the win. He had made two long balls in three different games this season.
– The Choctaws swept West Florida and Valdosta State on the road last season, as well.
