CLARKSVILLE, AR - The Mississippi College men's basketball team collected their third consecutive win with an 80-77 win over the University of the Ozarks in the Mabee Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Choctaws improved to 12-10 overall and 9-8 in the ASC East Division.  The Choctaws now sit in a tie for third place after the victory.

The three-game win streak marks the longest of the season for the Choctaws, and it's the first time MC has been two games over .500 since they were 4-2 after the win over Howard Payne on December 4th.

Ozarks jumped out to a 23-11 lead in the early going behind a sharp-shooting effort from Dustin Morett, who hit three three-pointers on consecutive possessions.

The Choctaws would climb back into the game and end the half on a 33-17 run that put them ahead 44-40 at halftime.

MC opened the second half on a 12-3 run and led by as many as 17 at 63-46.  The Eagles stormed back and trailed by just one point with :09.5 seconds remaining.

Senior Marlon Ester stepped up and hit two free throws to give MC a three-point advantage.  Morett missed a three-pointer as time expired, and the Choctaws held on for the win.

The Choctaws were led by sophomore Cameron Bounds with 21 points and 10 rebounds.  The former Hillcrest Christian standout poured in 19 points in the first half.

Junior Greg Pulliam finished the game with 14 points, while senior Ken Black and junior Chad Jones scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Eagles were led by Marcus Bobb with 23 points on 8-15 shooting.  Morett scored 20 points, while Andre Williams scored 14.

The Choctaws will be back in action on Monday night when they travel to Richardson, TX to face Texas-Dallas at 7:30 p.m.