Paige did most of his damage behind the three point line with seven from long range, just one short of the school record.
Ahead 34-26 at the half, the Choctaws built a 16 point lead with 16:39 remaining. Ozarks responded with a 19-4 run led by Geoff Owens' eleven points to pull within one point with 10:53 on the clock.
Over the next 4:07 Paige nailed four of his seven three pointers to give the visiting Choctaws a 63-53 lead. MC would make 11-14 free throws in the last five minutes to seal the victory.
In addition to Paige, MC forward B. J. Black scored 16 points to go along with 10 boards. The Choctaws shot 45 percent from the field but were hot from long range making 10-20 three point attempts.
Ozarks was led by senior Brent Johnson with 12 points. Caleb Hilton also scored in double figures with 10. The Eagles struggled from the field shooting just under 36 percent.
MC outrebouded Ozarks 51-34.
Newspaper Box Score Mississippi College vs University of the Ozarks 1-7-04 3:00 pm at Clarksville, AR At Clarksville, AR MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 80, UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS 65 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (14-7, 6-4) Nick Paige 8-17 4-4 27; B.J. Black 6-9 4-7 16; Jaszmine Eugene 2-5 4-4 9; Kevin Byrne 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Keyes 2-3 2-3 6; James Dixon 2-6 2-5 6; Blake Hyatt 1-2 0-0 3; Brian Cronin 1-4 0-0 3; Jason Walker 0-1 0-0 0; Ricardo Sacks 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 18-25 80. UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS (8-12, 5-4) Brent Johnson 4-12 4-5 12; Geoff Owens 3-9 4-5 11; Caleb Hilton 3-6 4-5 10; Josh Joyner 3-8 1-2 7; Reggie Brasfield 2-11 1-1 6; Mike Taylor 3-6 0-0 6; Brad Johnson 2-5 1-3 5; Tyler Field 2-5 0-0 4; Jamie Weatherford 1-1 0-1 2; David Hamilton 1-2 0-0 2; Jacob Sibley 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-67 15-22 65. Mississippi College........... 34 46 - 80 University of the Ozarks...... 26 39 - 65 3-point goals-Mississippi College 10-20 (Nick Paige 7-13; Blake Hyatt 1-1; Jaszmine Eugene 1-1; Brian Cronin 1-2; James Dixon 0-1; Jason Walker 0-1; Chris Keyes 0-1), University of the Ozarks 2-19 (Geoff Owens 1-1; Reggie Brasfield 1-7; Brad Johnson 0-1; Tyler Field 0-3; David Hamilton 0-1; Jacob Sibley 0-1; Brent Johnson 0-5). Fouled out--Mississippi College-None, University of the Ozarks-None. Rebounds-Mississippi College 51 (B.J. Black 10), University of the Ozarks 34 (Brent Johnson 8). Assists-Mississippi College 21 (Brian Cronin 7), University of the Ozarks 18 (Brent Johnson 5). Total fouls-Mississippi College 18, University of the Ozarks 25. A-585