The YellowJackets (4-8, 3-7) fought off a flurry of early three-pointers from the Choctaws and closed to within three points at 30-27 with 4:45 left in the first half on a jumper by sophomore Jacob Butler, but the Choctaws were just hitting their stride as they extended their lead to 47-29 at halftime.
Mississippi College continued its blazing shooting in the second half and would spread the wealth around offensively as 14 different players scored. Orlando Lewis led the team with 16 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting while Lonnie Vasquez and Timothy Broomfield added 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Choctaws shot 61.3 percent from the floor for the entire game and an amazing 68.2 percent from three-point range (11-of-16). Point guard Jonathan Collins distributed the ball well for MC with seven assists in just 18 minutes of action.
The YellowJackets had four players reach double figures and saw some subs play well, but the defense could not stop the Choctaws. Senior Travis Bankett led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds while sophomore Joe Packard, freshman Dusty Evers and sophomore Jay Burnett added 11, 10 and 10 points. Jacob Butler had his best game of the season with six points, four rebounds and two blocks.
LeTourneau shot 41.4 percent from the floor and made 19-of-25 from the foul line. MC out rebounded LETU 35-33 and committed just 13 turnovers, compared to 17 for the Jackets.
The Jackets play their third straight home game on Saturday against ASC-East rival Louisiana College at 3 o’clock. The game can be heard online at www.tsrnsports.com.
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Mississippi College vs LeTourneau University 01/12/06 7:30 at Longview, TX - Solheim Arena At Longview, TX - Solheim Arena MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 102, LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY 73 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (11-1, 8-1) Orlando Lewis 5-6 2-2 16; Lonnie Vasquez 4-6 1-1 12; Timothy Broomfield 4-5 2-4 11; Gene Hunt 3-5 2-2 9; David Doty 3-4 1-2 8; Patrick Veal 3-5 2-2 8; Tyler Winford 4-8 0-2 8; Ryan Hudson 3-3 0-0 6; Willie Powers 2-3 1-1 5; Cedric Armstrong 2-5 1-2 5; Jimmy Johns 1-1 2-2 4; Devin Jones 2-4 0-1 4; Jonathan Collins 1-3 0-0 3; Jaszmine Eugene 1-4 1-1 3; Thad Burke 0-0 0-0 0; Jonathan Dillon 0-0 0-0 0; Steven Blevins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-62 15-22 102. LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY (4-8, 3-7) Travis Bankett 4-7 3-4 14; Joe Packard 3-5 5-7 11; Jay Burnett 3-10 3-4 10; Dusty Evers 5-11 0-0 10; Casey Sitton 2-3 4-4 8; Reese Lantrip 2-7 2-2 7; Jacob Butler 3-3 0-1 6; James Williams 2-4 0-0 5; Cal Balmos 0-1 2-2 2; Jacob Shafer 0-0 0-0 0; Martin Fontenot 0-1 0-0 0; Dewones Smith 0-4 0-0 0; Marcus Coleman 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 24-58 19-25 73. Mississippi College........... 47 55 - 102 LeTourneau University......... 29 44 - 73 3-point goals-Mississippi College 11-16 (Orlando Lewis 4-5; Lonnie Vasquez 3-4; David Doty 1-2; Jonathan Collins 1-2; Timothy Broomfield 1-1; Gene Hunt 1-2), LeTourneau University 6-21 (Travis Bankett 3-5; Jay Burnett 1-5; Reese Lantrip 1-3; James Williams 1-3; Cal Balmos 0-1; Martin Fontenot 0-1; Dewones Smith 0-2; Marcus Coleman 0-1). Fouled out--Mississippi College-None, LeTourneau University-None. Rebounds-Mississippi College 35 (Lonnie Vasquez 5), LeTourneau University 33 (Travis Bankett 7). Assists-Mississippi College 20 (Jonathan Collins 7), LeTourneau University 12 (Casey Sitton 3; Marcus Coleman 3). Total fouls-Mississippi College 20, LeTourneau University 21. A-300 Indirect Technicial prior to tip-off assessed on #14 Jonathan Dillon (MC)