CLINTON, Miss. ------ Freshman Darrion Taylor scored a career-high 21 points and sophomore Desmond DeRamus recorded his second double-double of the year, but the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team could not hold off second-half rally by Mississippi College and fell 73-71 Tuesday.
 
NOTES
• The loss dropped the Warhawks to 0-4 on the season.
• The Choctaws improved to 1-0 on the year.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Taylor finished 7-of-15 from distance to record the game-high total. He added four assists in the contest.
• DeRamus tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals for the Warhawks.
• Senior Romoane Eager scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds before fouling out in the final seconds. He added a pair of steals, a blocked shot and an assist.
• Stacey Mack led the Choctaws with a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds. He added three blocked shots.
• DeOndre Haynes (13), Otis Harvey (12) and Brandon Boston (10) also scored in double figures for MC.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Choctaws opened the game with a 12-3 run during the first 6:43, with Mack scoring five points during the run.
• After MC upped its advantage to 10 points, 16-6, on a jumper by Bosten, The Warhawks rallied to tie the score at 25-25, with a 19-9 run, capped by a DeRamus trey with 5:35 remaining in the first half. The run started a 21-4 run to close the first half by AUM, who held the Choctaws without a field goal for the final 7:49 of the period. The Warhawks led 38-29 at halftime.
• After a jumper by Michael Bryant to open the second half gave AUM a game-high 11-point lead, the Choctaws held the Warhawks scoreless for the next 5:28. MC outscored AUM 13-0 and took a 42-40 lead on a trey by Otis Harvey. Eager stopped the run with a pair of free throws with 13:01 remaining.
• The Choctaws upped their lead to as many as 10 points, 68-58, with 3:12 remaining, but AUM chipped away and pulled to within three points, 71-68, on an Eager 3-pointer with 54 seconds remaining.
• Despite hitting just 2-of-6 free throws down the stretch, Mississippi College held of the Warhawks and picked up the two-point victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Warhawks converted 25-of-58 shots from the field, good for 43.1 percent. AUM also hit 12-of-33 from distance and 9-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• The Choctaws hit 21-of-52 shots from the floor, but converted 23-of-30 shots from the free throw line.
• AUM pulled down 34 rebounds in the contest, while Mississippi College grabbed 36 rebounds.
• The Warhawks committed 15 turnovers, while the Choctaws committed 12 miscues.
• AUM had just 16 points scored by players not Taylor, DeRamus or Eager.

UP NEXT
The Warhawks will return to action Friday, Nov. 25, when they open play at the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout, hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. AUM will challenge Francis Marion at 4 p.m. Friday, before taking on either the host Eagles of St. Augustine's Saturday at 6 p.m.