Bulldogs win MACCC opener on road

Mississippi Gulf Coast avenged a November loss by winning at Meridian on Monday in the MACCC opener for both teams.

Nautica Bouie (So., Panama City, Fla./Rutherford) gave the Bulldogs the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 2:10 left to play on the way to a 60-54 win.

"Down the stretch, we were able to execute very well and take care of the ball," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said." It was our first game since December, and being able to knock the rust off in conference and close out the game on the road just shows the resilience and what this team can continue to develop into."

The Bulldogs (7-3) were playing for the first time in exactly a month. They lost  63-58 to Meridian (12-3) early in the season. Taelar Felton (So., Clinton/Clinton) came off the bench to lead Gulf Coast with 16 points. Katelyn Brinkley (So., Ridgeland/Ridgeland) had 14, and Keela Bryan (So., Brunswick, Ga./Camden County) added 10.

Bouie's shot broke a 50-all tie, and Riley Bishop (Fr., Gulfport/Hancock) hit a baseline jumper with 90 seconds left for a 55-51 advantage.

Meridian made a 3 from the corner, but Brinkley made two free throws with 58.1 seconds left for a 3-point lead. The Bulldogs forced a turnover, and they made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to ice it.

"We executed very well defensively," Adams said. "We were able to really lock in and control the boards. We limited them to one shot and were able to disrupt and dictate, which is what we wanna do."

Gulf Coast will be at home Thursday for a key conference showdown against Jones. 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.