Top-seeded Gulf Coast stifles ECCC

PERKINSTON — No. 1 seed Mississippi Gulf Coast put the clamps on East Central in the NJCAA Region 23 quarterfinals, pulling away for a 57-37 win at Dantzler Arena.

The Bulldogs held the Warriors to just four points in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Gulf Coast extended an eight-point halftime lead to 30 with six minutes to play.

"Our identity is defense," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "We want our defense to turn into offense. Anytime we're getting steals and forcing people into bad shots, we're able to clear the boards and get the ball out. We're pretty tough to keep up with."

Simaru Fields (So., Pass Christian/Gulfport) dashed and slashed to a team-high 16 points, and Je'Mya Evans (So., Gulfport/Harrison Central) added 12.

Jacylin Houston (Fr., Louisville/Louisville) scored 11, and Tytiana Buckley (So., Meridian/Meridian) got 10. But their focus was directed at the defensive end, where they quieted Miriam Price, ECCC's leading scorer.

She'd poured in 25 points against the Bulldogs in their regular-season meeting and put up an eye-popping stat line in the first-round win over Southern-Shreveport.

Monday night, Price struggled offensively for ECCC (19-11).

"Buckley did a very good job," Adams said. "J-Baby played a role in there, as well. We were able to hold her to 10. Saturday, she had 40 points, so Buckley and Houston completed their defensive assignment. 

Gulf Coast (21-4) advances to the region semifinals, which are scheduled for Thursday in Clinton. Tipoff will be at 1 p.m.

NJCAA Region 23 Women's Basketball Tournament

First Round

Saturday, March 9

Higher seed hosts

No. 8 East Central 85, No. 9 Southern-Shreveport 71

No. 5 Itawamba 54, No. 12 Jones 36

No. 7 Northeast Mississippi 90, No. 10 Mississippi Delta 60

No. 11 Meridian 58, No. 6 Northwest Mississippi 55

Quarterfinals

Monday, March 11

Higher seed hosts

No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast 57, No. 8 East Central 37

No. 5 Itawamba 51, No. 4 Coahoma 47

Northeast at No. 2 Pearl River 80, No. 7 Northeast 47

No. 3 Southwest Mississippi 72, No. 11 Meridian 53

Semifinals

Thursday, March 14

Clinton, Miss.

Gulf Coast vs. Itawamba, 1 pm

Pearl River vs. Southwest, 5 pm

Finals

Friday, March 15

Clinton, Miss.

Championship, 5 pm

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

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