Bulldogs claim 1st South win

Mississippi Gulf Coast got its first win in the MACCC South in style Monday, waxing Copiah-Lincoln 62-47 at Wesson.

The Bulldogs (2-6, 1-6 South) dominated the Wolves (4-4, 4-4) on the boards and held them to just five points in the second quarter on the way to a 12-point halftime lead.

"We changed up defenses every possession so it didn't let them get in a rhythm," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "The biggest thing that made us successful was coming together as a team. We moved the ball well, and the girls gave us a 100-percent effort."

Aniya Saddler (Fr., Columbus/Columbus) led the Bulldogs to a 53-30 advantage on the boards with nine rebounds. She finished with nine points.

Sharisse Bridges (Fr., Jackson/Callaway) had 14 points and five rebounds, and Ayanna McNairy (Fr., Brookhaven/Brookhaven) shot 3-for-5 from the 3-point line to finished with 13 points.

Gulf Coast outscored Co-Lin 16-5 in the second quarter and was up 28-16 at halftime. The Wolves shot just 25.8 percent from the field and didn't make a 3-pointer until the final five minutes, finishing 2-for-19.

The Bulldogs shot better from behind the arc (42.9 percent) than from the field (41.4 percent) and won despite Co-Lin making as many free throws as the Bulldogs had attempts. The Wolves went 13-for-29 from the charity stripe, while the Bulldogs were 8-of-13.

Alisha Tucker (Fr., McComb/McComb) had nine points and seven rebounds.

Gulf Coast gets back on the court at home Thursday. Hinds visits Perk with the tipoff set for 6 p.m. 

The Bulldogs will be looking to make a winning streak. 

"These girls are fighters," Adams said. "We've been talking to them about adversity and how we can't give up. We're a very strong team, and I've been watching them fight through it."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.