Bulldogs ready for NJCAA to tip

Mississippi Gulf Coast's first-round game in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship will feature two teams who like to get out and run. How the squads achieve those aims is different, which is where Wednesday's game gets interesting.

The 22^nd-seed Bulldogs play No. 11-seed Three Rivers at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper at 1:15 pm CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

"They're averaging 79 points a game, and their leading scorer averages 12," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "That lets us know multiple people can score. We want to control the ball, limit turnovers and keep them off the boards. We want to control the pace as much as possible. We like to run when we can, but against them it's more about controlling the pace of the game."

Three Rivers, out of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was ranked 13^th in the final NJCAA poll. The Raiders (27-4) have won 12 straight, including the Region 16 championship game to earn an automatic berth. They avenged regular-season losses to State Fair and No. 24 Mineral Area, having gotten beaten earlier in the year by No. 2 Wabash Valley and No. 12 Trinity Valley.

They have scored 100 points four times and are 11^th in the NJCAA at 79.7 points per game. Three Rivers leads the country in blocks (5.6 bpg) and is seventh in steals (14.1 spg). Their shooting defense (32.3 percent) is third-best, and they're 12^th in 3-point defense (25.1 percent).

Da'Kariya Jackson leads them at 12.7 points, the only player in double-digits. Seven of her teammates who have played in at least 30 games average five or more points.

"They're going to press you and want to get as many possessions as possible," Adams said. "They want to score in transition and score fast."

The Bulldogs also lost four times this year, three of them to teams in the top 25. They lost twice to No. 20 Chipola and once to No. 21 Pensacola State. They beat No. 11 Pearl River, which was given the No. 13 seed in the tournament. Gulf Coast won the Region 23 title for its automatic bid.

The Bulldogs are 20^th in the country in shooting (43.5 percent), but they do their damage on the opposite end of the court. They're seventh in defense, allowing just 53.0 points per game. They use length and athleticism in the halfcourt to force turnovers, then try to get out and run for easy baskets.

Gulf Coast arrived in Casper on Sunday afternoon and practiced. They were up early Monday morning to get their 30-minute shootaround in the arena, then went to Natrona County High School for a full workout.

The Bulldogs have been acclimatizing to the altitude at Casper, which is over 5,100 feet. That only 200 feet lower than Denver.

Gulf Coast steps onto the big stage Wednesday, wanting to take the program another big step forward.

"They're a little anxious," Adams said. As we get closer to game time, I'll start to see a little bit more of the nerves. I'm trying to get them focus on the fact they're supposed to be here. We want to have fun, go out and play ball." 

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