MAITLAND, Fla. --- Junior Brandon Blake came off the bench for the first time this seaon and scored 20 points as the Mississippi College men's basketball team stopped a three-game losing streak with an 83-72 win over Hope College on Thursday night at the RDV Sportsplex.

The Choctaws (5-4), Flying Dutchmen (4-5) and Illinois Wesleyan are all competing in the RDV DIII Classic held near the Orlando Magic's Amway Center.

The Choctaws shot 53% (30-57) from the floor and went 12-14 from the foul line over the final four minutes to clinch the victory.  Blake was 6-9 from the floor and made all six of his attempts at the charity stripe in the final minutes.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle that inlcuded eight lead changes and five ties.  MC would go into the break with a 40-36 lead over the Flying Dutchmen.  Senior Kendre' Smith had seven first half points for the Choctaws.

In the second half, Hope went on an 11-2 run to open the period and grabbed their largest lead of the game at 47-42 with 17:02 remaining.

At the 11:33 mark, the Flying Dutchmen held a 56-54 lead, but the Choctaws would go on a 15-0 run to take a 13-point lead with just 6:13 to go in the game.  Hope never got any closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Choctaws outscored Hope in the paint, 42-26, but the Flying Dutchmen had the advantage from the three-point line, going 10-25.

Blake's 20 points led all scorers, while juniors Turmonte Ragland and Laquavius Cotton were also in double-figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.  Ragland just missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds.

Kendre' Smith scored a season-high nine points, while senior Adam Smith had seven points and nine rebounds.

Alex Eidson led Hope with 18 points, going 5-8 from the three-point line, including nailing four from long range in the first half.  Billy Seiler poured in 15 points, while Colton Overway had 10 points and nine assists.

The MC defense held the Flying Dutchmen to just 38% shooting, while leading-scorer Nate Snuggerud was held to just four points in 15 minutes played.

The Choctaws will wrap up the RDV DIII Classic on Friday night when they play Illinois Wesleyan at 6:00 p.m. Central Time.