Buckley’s 19 power Bulldogs past Bishop State

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast's offense got stuck on the first day of the Bulldog Invitational, but the Bulldogs got things moving better Friday. They pulled away from Bishop State in the fourth quarter to win 64-50.

Better ball movement led to lots of room for Tytiana Buckley to shoot and slash, and she poured in 19 points. She had eight points in a key 12-2 run early in the final quarter that opened things up.

"It was definitely a Buckley Night," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "Last night we came up short, but Buckley did her job holding their leading scorer to two points in the first half. We got stagnant yesterday, and I think we did a better job sharing the ball and taking advantage of what they were giving us. In order for Buckley to have a good night, that ball has to move so she came play to her strengths."

Gulf Coast improved to 3-1 while handing the Bobcats their first loss in the sixth game of the season.

Gulf Coast led 41-36 at the start of the fourth quarter, and Bishop State knocked down an early three to get within two. After a layup by Kelviana Parhm (Fr., Forest/Forest), Buckley took over. She had a free throw, a layup, an and-one and two from the charity stripe to put Gulf Coast up 53-41 with 4:47 left.

Simaru Fields (So., Pass Christian/Gulfport) shook off the shooting rust down the stretch, knocking down three 3-pointers on the way to a 16-point night. Jacylin Houston (Fr., Louisville/Louisville) helped Gulf Coast battle back after early rebounding woes, getting 12 points, mostly on put-backs.

"We got into them about boxing out," Adams said. "They're a good rebounding team. We knew that coming in."

No. 18 Chipola beat Meridian 65-57 in the first game Friday.

Gulf Coast will have a recovery day Saturday and watch some film. The Bulldogs will start getting ready for Delgado on Sunday. The teams meet Monday at 2 p.m. at Dantzler Arena. The game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

"Right now, it's about becoming the Gulf Coast we need to be," Adams said. "Last night, it exposed some weaknesses, and we want to make sure we get better."

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