Frantic comeback falls just short at Perk

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast almost erased a miserable first half with a furious second-half comeback, but it fell just short. The Bulldogs, who trailed by as many as 24, lost 82-79 at Dantzler Arena.

Duran Parish (Fr., Biloxi/Biloxi) drove time and again in the second half, finishing with a game-high 28. He made 12-of-16 free throws.

Gulf Coast (13-8, 5-4 MACCC) didn't break double digits on the scoreboard until the 7:29 mark of the first half, shooting 17.6 percent from the field in the half. East Central (12-12, 3-5) shot 42 percent.

The Bulldogs went on a 15-4 run early in the second half to get the deficit down to 12. They trailed 74-59 with 6:51 to play before uncorking the final push.

A 14-4 run got them within four with three minutes left, and East Central missed four free throws in the final minute to give the Bulldogs possession down three.

After a timeout with 9.1 seconds, Gulf Coast couldn't get a good shot off.

Omarion Smith (So., Atlanta Ga./Douglas County) missed a double-double by one rebound, finishing with 10 points. John Davis (So., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) also had 10 points.

The Bulldogs, who lead the MACCC in long-range shooting, made just 23.8 percent of the attempts behind the arc.

Gulf Coast travels to Utica on Monday to play Hinds. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 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.