Mississippi College Falls to Valdosta State in Senior Day Thriller

CLINTON, Miss. — Mississippi College fell to Valdosta State 89-80 on Saturday night in a tightly contested game at A.E. Wood Coliseum. The contest marked Senior Day for the Choctaws, adding an emotional element to the home game.

The teams traded leads early, with MC’s Josh Holman opening the scoring with a layup and a 3-pointer. Valdosta State responded with key baskets from Drew Mills and Maalik Leitch, maintaining a close game through the first half. Blaise Wallace hit two consecutive 3-pointers late in the half, helping the Blazers take a 48-40 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Mississippi College kept pace with contributions from DeMarcus Powe, who scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers. MC cut the deficit to five points with 14:37 remaining but could not overtake Valdosta State. The Blazers pulled away late with clutch shots from Peter McKey and Lucas Brown, who sealed the victory with a late 3-pointer that extended the lead to eight in the final minute.

Leading scorers for Mississippi College included Powe with 21 points, Holman with 17, and Avaughn Johnson with 18 rebounds and 15 points. Phil Nelson added 14 points and seven assists. The Choctaws will visit Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday, Feb. 19, for their next game.

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