Bulldogs blow by Bears

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast stayed undefeated in 2026 by pulling away from Baton Rouge at Dantzler Arena on Thursday.

Gulf Coast got 22 from Duran Parish, one of three Bulldogs in double digits, in a 85-65 win.

"It's about a normal night for him," coach Owen Miller said. "He does a good job putting a lot of pressure on both ends. We're going to go as he goes."

The Bulldogs are 13-2 after winning their first two games after the holiday break. It was the final tune-up before MACCC play starts Monday. Gulf Coast heads to Meridian with the men's tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

Gulf Coast led by 12 at halftime but used a 17-2 run midway through the second half to expand its lead to 69-45 with 6:53 left. Zakariyya Dwight (Fr., Cordele, Ga./Crisp County) helped ignite the run with a steal and layup on the press, the middle points in a six-point run over 51 seconds.

"I thought we got off to a slow start, and you've got to credit Baton Rouge and their style of play," Miller said. "I thought they controlled the tempo there in the first half. They slowed us down with the zone. We got the game going at our pace there in the second half and got some turnovers out of our press and some easy baskets."

Maddox Noblitt (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) had 13 points, and Jaron LeMelle (Fr., Birmingham, Ala./Langston Hughes) added 11.

Gulf Coast made 20-of-23 free throws.

"We've been working on it," Miller said. "It's hard to lose at home when you do that."

Baton Rouge is now 7-11.

The Bulldogs play their first MACCC home game next Thursday when Jones visits.

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