Bulldogs get to 100

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast reached the century mark for the first time in two seasons Thursday, blasting Tallahassee 100-52 at Dantzler Arena.

"That was the full offensive performance," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "We've been a little stagnant on offense the last few games, but that's all we've been preaching about in practice. We want to make sure we're sharing the ball, and a lot of what was going on before was the ball wasn't hopping. It was hopping tonight. They played beautiful ball. They looked like they were having fun."

The last time Gulf Coast (5-2) reached the 100-point mark was on a 105-71 win over Gadsden State on Nov. 11, 2021, in the Weathers-Wentzell Center.

Je'Mya Evans (So., Gulfport/Harrison Central) had a dominant night, pouring in a career-high 23 points. She was a force inside.

"I gotta give credit to Coach (Carla) Bartee for this," Adams said. "She puts in countless hours trying to clean them up offensively. Today, Je'Mya displayed that. She stepped out and hit the mid-range and was able to go in and finish around the rim."

Ja'Sharreah Hunt (So., Roxie/Franklin County) was right behind with 20 points, with Simaru Fields adding 18 points.

Gulf Coast started the second quarter on a 13-2 run to expand a seven-point lead. The Bulldogs went into halftime up 49-28 and never looked back. 

They got a big boost off the bench from freshmen Jacylin Houston (Fr., Louisville/Louisville), who had 14, and Aniyah Hunter (Fr., Louisville/Louisville), who scored 12. Hunter had a big defensive possession in the period where she dove on a loose ball to help spark another run.

Gulf Coast made 10 shots behind the 3-point arc, most of them uncontested.

"What we've preaching is that when we get wide-open looks, we knock those down," Adams said. "When they force stuff off the dribble, we struggle."

Tallahassee falls to 3-6. 

It was Gulf Coast's last game before the holiday break. The Bulldogs return to action Jan. 4 when Arkansas State Mid-South visits Dantzler Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:30 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.