Bulldogs tame Tigers 88-67

Mississippi Gulf Coast sprinted away from Northeast Mississippi in the second half for a big win at Booneville. The hot-shooting Bulldogs won 88-67 after forcing 24 turnovers.

It was a balanced offensive attack, with Avan Wilson (So., Bay St. Louis/Bay) and Za'Kariyea Hamilton (So., Jackson/Clinton) leading six Bulldogs in double digits with 12 each. All five starters had 10 or more points.

"Our press was as good as it's been in a while, and we spent some extra time on it in practice," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "We just got more detailed, and it paid off for us tonight. We had a lot of guys play well, and defensively it was one of our best efforts of the year."

Gulf Coast improved to 21-5 overall, 8-3 in the MACCC. The Bulldogs took over sole possession of third place after Copiah-Lincoln beat Southwest Mississippi.

Northeast falls to 15-12, 5-6.

Wilson made 2-of-3 from behind the arc, helping the Bulldogs shoot 53.3 percent from deep. Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) had 11 points and five rebounds. Duran Parish (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) had 10 points, seven steals and seven assists, and King George (Fr., Olive Branch/Olive Branch) also had 10 points.

Maddox Noblitt (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) made 3-of-7 from 3 on the way to 11 points off the bench. Zakariyya Dwight (Fr., Cordele, Ga./Crisp County) scored nine points and had a team-high seven rebounds, also off the bench.

"It was good to see Kari make some and Avan make some," Miller said. "Maddox has been making them. They face-guarded Duran, and we adjusted to that. In the second half, we really got the ball at the rim and got open shots. That let us separate ourselves there in the first 10 minutes of the second half."

Gulf Coast shot 53.2 percent from the floor, with the turnovers helping the Bulldogs make 11 more field goals than NEMCC. They scored 31 points off turnovers and outscored the Tigers 24-4 in second-chance points.

Gulf Coast celebrates Sophomore Night on Monday. The Bulldogs take on Northwest Mississippi at Dantzler Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30. Ceremonies will take place immediately following the women's game.

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