Bulldogs can’t force OT at the buzzer at Jones

Mississippi Gulf Coast overcame a big deficit early against Jones on Friday night in non-conference men's basketball action, but the Bulldogs couldn't get two short shot attempts to fall in the final seconds and lost 86-84 at Ellisville.

Donovan Sanders (So., Walls/Lake Cormorant) led Gulf Coast with 20 points and six assists. Jabarie Robinson (Fr., Raymond/Raymond) and JaVon Anderson (So., Columbia S.C./Ridge View) added 16 points.

The Bulldogs (2-3) shot 44.8 percent from behind the arc, but the Bobcats (3-0) nearly matched that and shot nearly 55 percent from the field as a team. Gulf Coast lost the rebounding battle 37-25.

Jones jumped out to a 21-9 lead in the first eight minutes, but Gulf Coast got hot behind the arc and took a 26-25 lead with 5:35 left in the half. Sanders' buzzer-beating layup after a steal by Demarcus Powe (Fr., Meridian/Meridian) gave the Bulldogs a 36-35 lead.

Gulf Coast led by as many as eight in the first eight minutes of the second half, but it turned into a seesaw affair down the stretch. Jones led 86=81 with 15 seconds left, but Sanders got fouled taking a 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left and made all the free throws. 

Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one with 7.7 seconds left, but the Bulldogs couldn't convert a pair of chances as the clock expired.

Javeon Gordon (Fr., Mount Olive/Mount Olive) came off the bench to score 14 points. He and Anderson made four of eight 3-pointers each. Darius Dawson (So., Sumter S.C./West Florence) had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Gulf Coast plays at home Monday after a three-game road stretch. The Bulldogs will host No. 14 Pearl River at 6 p.m. at the Weathers-Wentzell Center. The game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.