Bulldogs beat archrivals by 11

PHOTO BY KARISA WATKINS/PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

All five starters scored in double-digits for Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the Bulldogs claimed first blood on the season against archrival Pearl River. Gulf Coast won 87-76 in a non-conference game in Poplarville to hand the Wildcats their first loss.

"We played tough," coach Owen Miller said. "We scored 87 points, but I didn't think we were great offensively. We took care of the ball, and we had 17 offensive rebounds. That was big, and we got to the free-throw line 34 times. That was a difference in the game."

Duran Parish (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) led the team with 17 points despite only scoring two free throws. He made 11-of-15 free throws and had four steals and four assists. Za'Kariyea Hamilton (So., Jackson/Clinton) made 4-of-6 from behind the arc on the way to 16 points.

"Kari really made some big shots," Miller said. "He struggled shooting our first few games, but Kari had a lot of energy tonight. He played really good defense and made some big shots late for us."

Pearl River (5-1) shot better than the Bulldogs from the floor, but the Bulldogs had those offensive rebounds and forced 24 turnovers. King George (Fr., Olive Branch/Olive Branch) also had four steals to go along with 14 points.

Zakariyya Dwight (Fr., Cordele, Ga./Crisp County) added 13 points, and Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) had 12 with seven rebounds.

"Matt got in early foul trouble, and that hurt us," Miller said. "He was really big in the second half and only played 14 minutes."

The Bulldogs (4-1) return to action Monday with a game against the Louisiana Knights at Perkinston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.