Dwight leads Bulldogs to thrilling win

PERKINSTON — Zakariyya Dwight took over in the second half Monday night, leading Mississippi Gulf Coast to a thrilling 100-98 win over Northwest Mississippi.

The game featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes, and Dwight scored 19 of his team-high 23 points after halftime and was a force down the stretch.

"He's put in a ton of time since Christmas, before and after practice," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "He scored our last four field goals and was a really, really big force. I'm proud for him because of the work he's putting in. He's finally reaping some of those rewards."

Gulf Coast (22-5, 9-3 MACCC) has clinched a home game in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament and can guarantee a first-round bye with wins in the final two regular-season games. The Bulldogs are third in the conference. Northwest falls to 16-11, 5-7.

Dwight was one of five Bulldogs in double-digits. King George (Fr., Olive Branch/Olive Branch) had 18 points, and Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) added 16.  Duran Parish (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) and Za'Kariyea Hamilton (So., Jackson/Clinton) both had 15.

Northwest tied the game at 88 with 3:11 to play, setting Dwight into action. The 6-foot-6 forward from Cordele, Ga., got a putback for the lead, then answered a Rangers layup with a 3-pointer from the right corner. After a Rangers bucket, Dwight got a posterizing dunk with 2:11 for a 95-92 advantage.

Dwight's last shot was perhaps his biggest, breaking a 96-all tie with a 3 from the left corner this time.

The Rangers scored two free throws with 13.9 seconds left, but Parish made one of his own with 12.3 seconds left, and the Bulldogs held on.

"It was a track meet, and we knew that going in," Miller said. "They made 15 3's. It's hard to think you can lose when you make 15 threes. We only made three, but we were able to get it at the rim, and we made free throws, too, which was critical."

Gulf Coast travels to Copiah-Lincoln on Thursday. Tipoff in Wesson is set for 5:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed at https://colinathletics.com/general/live_stream. The Bulldogs close out the regular-season on Monday when archrival Pearl River visits Perk.

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