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On “Senior Night”, Raymond native Jonathan McGee went out with a bang, tying a season-high with 29 points as the Mississippi College men’s basketball team closed out the season with a 71-66 win over Delta State University on Thursday night in A.E. Wood Coliseum.
In front of an amazing crowd of 1,243 people at A.E. Wood Coliseum, McGee would tie a school record that he equalled earlier this season, making eight three-pointers and going 10-of-18 from the floor.
The Choctaws (8-16, 7-15 GSC) got off to a rough start as the Statesmen (18-10, 13-9 GSC) jumped out to a 25-17 lead with 8:51 remaining in the first half.
MC as able to close the gap and when McGee nailed a long ball with 5:55 to go, the Choctaws took the lead with 10-2 run, going ahead 28-27.
In fact, overall, the Choctaws would close the half on a 23-8 push that gave them a 40-33 advantage going into the break.
At the half, MC was led by McGee’s 18 points, while Devin Schmidt scored 17 on 7-of-12 shooting for the Statesmen. The junior broke DSU’s all-time scoring record early in the first half.
The Statesmen jumped on MC to open the second half, taking their largest lead of the game at 58-48 with 9:16 remaining.
As the crowd continued to urge the team on, junior DeOndre Haynes closed a 10-0 run for MC with an old-fashioned three-point play with 7:18 to go in the game.
The game would go back and forth over the final minutes without much scoring, but when Jack Madgen of DSU nailed two free throws, the game was tied 66-66 with 1:32 remaining.
It would be the final points of the game for DSU as McGee made his final three-pointer with :39 seconds remaining to grab the final lead.
The Statesmen had several looks in the final seconds, but junior Byron McCall pulled down the final rebound and iced the game with a free throw with less than a second remaining.
At halftime of the women’s game, six seniors were honored as they played in their final games on Thursday night.
Christian Howard, McGee, Tristan Moore, Tory Rice, Christian Robbins and Johnny Rucker all closed out their careers on Thursday night.
Moore scored in double-figures with 11 and a team-high five assists, giving him 198 for his career. Robbins scored four points, while Rucker added three and Howard earned a start on the night. Rice was unable to play after being injured earlier in the season.
Schmidt led the Statesmen with 24 points, while James Kilpatrick tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The MC athletic department is anticipating final approval for Division II status this summer, which means the Choctaws will be able to compete for the Gulf South Conference championship in 2016-17.
