Lady Bulldogs win in return to action

PERKINSTON — Playing for the first time in 11 days, it took a while for Mississippi Gulf Coast to knock the rust off.

The Lady Bulldogs didn't score until 4-1/2 minutes into the game but a strong second quarter propelled them to a 51-44 victory over Baton Rouge at the Weathers/ Wentzell Center on Thursday.

"I thought we had good energy," Gulf Coast coach Jason Conner said. "I thought we did a good job defensively. They've gotten a lot better. With our long period off, I didn't know what to expect. WE matched them."

Gulf Coast (4-2) got 10 points from Shaniqua Tobias (5-6, So, New Orleans/Warren Easton), who also dished out 5 assists and had 3 steals. Deona Morgan (5-7, Fr, Ocean Springs/St. Martin) had nine points, and J'nitra Ratliff (5-8, Fr, Port Gibson/Port Gibson), Whitney Williams (5-5, So, Ocean Springs/St. Martin) and Eanna Sims (5-11, Fr, Jackson/Forest Hill) added seven each.

Williams also had four assists and five steals, with Sims and Kim Calhoun (5-11, So, Gulfport/West Harrison) grabbing six rebounds each.

Gulf Coast extended a 10-9 lead after 10 minutes with a 13-2 run to open the second quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs had defeated the Lady Bears (2-7) in their first meeting at Baton Rouge in a season-opening tournament. Baton Rouge was coming off a 69-60 win over Holmes on Monday.

"I'm pleased with the W because they're a better team," Conner said. "They just beat Holmes by 10, and that worried me because we hadn't played."

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