Gulf Coast falls at ICC

Mississippi Gulf Coast didn't take care of the ball down the stretch Thursday and lost a chance to make up ground on first-place Itawamba in Fulton. ICC won 79-64 to retain sole possession of first place.

The Bulldogs (19-5, 6-3 MACCC) entered the night tied for third but had a six-game win streak snapped. They're tied for fourth after the loss. Itawamba is 18-6, 9-1.

Duran Parish (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) led Gulf Coast with 15 points. Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) had 13, King George added 12 and Za'Kariyea Hamilton (So., Jackson/Clinton) scored 10.

Gulf Coast trailed by double-digits early in the game but battled back to trail just 39-35 at halftime.

Hamilton drove to the bucket for a 40-39 lead with 17:28 left in the game. Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) followed with a pair of free throws, but ICC went on a 13-0 run to take charge.

Gulf Coast is back home Monday to face Coahoma. Tipoff at Dantzler Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

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