Bulldogs shut down Coastal

Mississippi Gulf Coast clamped down on defense Thursday night, shutting down Coastal Alabama-South in a 60-35 win at Bay Minette, Ala.

"We were able to be physical," Bulldogs coach Hope Adams said. "That's one of the things that we want to be capitalizing on, adding that physicality. Tonight, we were very physical on the defensive end. We were able to keep the ball in front of us, and holding a team to 35 points is a big deal, especially when you wanna pride yourself off defense. We've always been defensive-minded, and that's what we're trying to build with this team." 

Riley Bishop (Fr., Gulfport/Hancock) splashed three 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 17 points. Ariana Peagler (So., Hoover, Ala./Hoover) and Nautica Bouie (So., Panama City, Fla./Rutherford) had 12 each.

Gulf Coast snapped a two-game skid and is now 3-2 after handing Coastal its first loss in the Coyotes' fifth game.

The Bulldogs did it without their two leading returning players. Taelar Felton (So., Clinton/Clinton) and Katelyn Brinkley (So., Ridgeland/Ridgeland) were sidelined with injuries.

Gulf Coast held the Coyotes to five points in the second quarter on the way to a 31-13 halftime lead. After a brief Coastal rally in the third quarter, the Bulldogs kept pulling away.

Bishop set a new season-high with her performance.

"She's a special piece to our puzzle," Adams said. "She came on as a walk-on, and she's not taken this opportunity from granted from the time that she came on campus from the summer all through preseason. She's worked her butt off."

Gulf Coast has one more game before Thanksgiving. The Bulldogs host Delgado on Monday at Dantzler Arena. The 1 p.m. 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.