Bulldogs down Lions at Perk

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast got the men's basketball season off to a strong start Monday night, beating East Mississippi 74-67 here at Dantzler Arena.

The Bulldogs forced nine first-half turnovers to build a double-digit lead, and didn't look back.

"It was a good win, a typical conference game," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "It was tough. I thought we took control of it there in the second half, but they hung in there and kept fighting."

Jabbari Barry (So., Lake Charles, La./Barbe) led Gulf Coast with 28 points, and Mekhi Strong (Fr., Edwards/Raymond) had 13.

After trailing 10-7, the Bulldogs (11-4) started an 11-0 run with a put-back by Strong with 14:14 left in the half. Five different Bulldogs scored, and Avan Wilson (Fr., Bay St. Louis/Bay) had a jam to cap it off.

Gulf Coast led 38-27 at halftime and led by as many as 18 early in the second half. EMCC (6-10) got a 3-pointer with 8:40 left to get it to single-digits, but Wilson nailed a 3 from the corner, Barry had one from the top of the key, and Strong's drive with 7:10 pushed the lead by to 60-45. 

The Lions made another run and got it to eight with 3:34, but Lee took a pass at the free-throw line and powered to the rim for a dunk. He converted the three-point play, and Thomas Tangle (So., Standing Pine/Choctaw Central) had a 3 from the corner for a 70-56 lead.

"Jabbari got going and made some big shots," Miller said. "Larry, there at the end, had the big dunk which was a momentum changer."

The Bulldogs held EMCC under 21 percent from the 3-point line, while Barry made 5-of-11 from the arc.

Gulf Coast will travel to Goodman on Thursday to play Holmes. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.