Bulldogs pull away for win in opener in Florida

Mississippi Gulf Coast showed its strength when it counted most Friday in the opening game of the women's basketball season, expanding the lead in the fourth quarter to beat Indian River 74-65 in the Tallahassee Classic.

The Eagles finished last regular season ranked 17^th in the country, but the Bulldogs controlled the boards on the way to the win.

"I don't think we played our best, but we were solid when it mattered those last 10 minutes," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "I think we wore them down. We were able to lock in on defense."

Simaru Fields (So., Pass Christian/Gulfport) led Gulf Coast with 16 points and had six rebounds. Tytiana Buckley (So., Meridian/Meridian) had 15 points.

Gulf Coast shot 46.7 percent from the floor, holding Indian River under 42 percent.

Ja'Sharreah Hunt (So., Roxie/Franklin County) came off the bench and scored 12. She was perfect on six free throw attempts, many of those coming down the stretch.

Kristen McMillan (Fr., Hoover, Ala./Hoover) led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds. Gulf Coast outrebounded the Eagles 38-26.

"We controlled the boards really well," Adams said. "It was team rebounding, but Kristen did a great job cleaning up the board defensively."

Kelviana Parhm (Fr., Forest/Forest) helped slow down Indian River's leading score in the final 10 minutes and made 2-of-3 of her 3-point attempts.

Gulf Coast was scheduled to play a second game in Tallahassee on Saturday, but the game was canceled. The Bulldogs will open their home schedule on Thursday when MACCC-rival Jones visits for a non-conference game starting at 6 p.m.

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