Gulf Coast blasts Faith Prep for 1st Ryan win

PHOTO BY GREG HARTLEY JR.

PERKINSTON — A balanced effort that saw five players score in double-digits earned Tim Ryan his first win as Mississippi Gulf Coast men's basketball coach. The Bulldogs popped Faith Prep 92-33 Friday afternoon at the Weathers-Wentzell Center.

Calvin Johnson (So., Long Beach/Long Beach), Melvion Flanagan (Fr., Alexandria La./Peabody) and Carr Thiam (Fr., Tampa Fla./Wharton) each had 15 points.

 "What I really liked today was the effort that the guys put in," Ryan said. "Obviously, we still have a lot to work on. There were so many holes. We didn't finish well. There were times on the defensive end where there were big lapses. I told them today if we're happy with that, we'll probably end up getting spanked Monday.

The Bulldogs will start MACCC South play Monday with a trip to Jones. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game can be streamed at https://jcbobcats.com/watch.

Gulf Coast scored the last 26 points of the first half to take a 47-10 lead. The Bulldogs made 16-of-17 free throws. Dontavius Proby (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) had 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line, and Rodrique Massenat (So., Trenton N.J./Trenton Catholic) chipped in 11.

"We played pretty good," Johnson said. "We played hard, but we've got to continue to get better. We've got to focus on Jones. We've got to lock in."

Johnson and Jayden McCorvey (Fr., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) led Gulf Coast with seven rebounds, and McCorvey dished out five assists.

"I told them to enjoy the win today, but I call conference games the money games," Ryan said. "It's different than any other year. Usually you play eight or nine non-conference games, but this year it's one game and, smack, you're into conference. It'll be interesting to see."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.