Bulldogs grab 1st MACCC win of season

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast needed a men's basketball conference win in the worst way Tuesday night, and the Bulldogs got a big one against one of the better teams in the league.

Gulf Coast got to the basket often and played its typical stout 3-point defense to pull away from Northeast Mississippi and win 90-79 at Dantzler Arena.

"It's great to get that first conference win against such a good team," Bulldogs coach Tim Ryan said. "We're excited."

It was the fourth MACCC of the season for the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-9 overall. Northeast is now 11-5, 2-2.

The two-headed guard monster of Jabarie Robinson (Fr., Raymond/Raymond) and Donovan Sanders (So., Walls/Lake Cormorant) combined for 48 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the way.

"That was a lot of going to the basket," Ryan said. "Hats off to Don and Jabarie for that."

Gulf Coast led 50-39 to play and appeared to be in control, but the Tigers started clawing back. They went ahead by two with 10:40 to play on the back of a 10-0 run.

"When they went on that run, they were just getting to the basket," Ryan said. "We were getting tired, and we were in foul trouble. We were trying to get to that 10-minute mark. As soon as it got there, we put our starters back in and they gave us that burst of energy."

The team traded punches over the next four minutes, but Gulf Coast put together a 17-8 run to go up 76-69. Sanders had eight in that spurt and finished with 22 points, a team-high seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Robinson had 26 to lead all scorers, adding five rebounds and four assists. The two guards shot 60 percent from the field, 44 percent from the 3-point line and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

"Jabarie did what he does well, and that's get to the basket," Ryan said. "He did a terrific job of getting to the basket and finishing. He struggled the last couple of games doing that."

Demarcus Powe (Fr., Meridian/Meridian) finished with 14 points. Gulf Coast held the Tigers to 21.4 percent shooting from behind the arc, more than 10 points below their season average.

Gulf Coast plays archrival Pearl River on Thursday in Poplarville. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

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