Bulldogs hold off rally to maintain 1st place

PERKINSTON — After a dominant first half, first-place Mississippi Gulf Coast let things get a little interesting down the stretch but held off Holmes at Dantzler Arena. 

Gulf Coast won 68-56 for a 10^th straight victory. The Bulldogs are 8-0 in the MACCC.

"We started off really well, so I think we competed the first half," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "In the third quarter, we played like we got comfortable, like we got complacent. The last two minutes of the game, we figured out that we were going to play to win and not play to lose."

Nautica Bouie (So., Panama City, Fla./Rutherford) had 14 in the first quarter and finished with 25. Taelar Felton (So., Clinton/Clinton) had 16, and Keela Bryan (So., Brunswick, Ga./Camden County) had 12 

The Bulldogs are 14-3 and are still among those receiving votes in the NJCAA Division I poll. Holmes is 11-9, 3-6.

Gulf Coast held Holmes to one point in the first five minutes and led 28-9 after one quarter. The lead increased to 43-23 at halftime.

Bryan hit a 3-pointer coming out of the locker room, but the Bulldogs went cold for the next seven minutes. Holmes went on a 10-0 run, but Gulf Coast got 3-pointers from Felton and Roniya Ellis (Fr., Natchez/Natchez) in the final two minutes of the quarter to extend the lead back to 15.

Holmes launched an 11-0 run to get within 56-50 with 4:30 to play before the Bulldogs started getting to the free-throw line again. Eight points in the ensuing 10-2 run staved off the comeback. Bouie started and ended that spurt with two from the charity stripe.

"We've been telling her that she's got to be more aggressive for us on the offensive end, as well as the defensive end," Adams said. "She's the glue that brings us together. She has a very high IQ. We could play her in multiple positions. I'm just proud how she came out and shot the ball tonight. She needed that confidence from behind the arc. We're gonna really need her to carry it over for the next six games."

The Bulldogs make the long road trip to Fulton on Thursday to play third-place Itawamba. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed at https://letsgoicctv.com/red-channel/.

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