Bulldogs rally to top Eagles

Mississippi Gulf Coast rallied from a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pick up another road victory, downing Meridian 64-60.

"We slowed the ball down. I think we were kind of rushing to make a home run play," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "I had to slow the girls down and let them know we're only down 5 points and not 15 points."

The Bulldogs' depth was on full display again, with 10 different players scoring. Sharisse Bridges (So., Jackson/Callaway) had 16 points to lead the team, with Beverly Tillman (So., Laurel/Laurel) adding 12. Tillman made 8-of-10 from the free-throw line

The Bulldogs (2-0) trailed 54-49 early in the final quarter after a pair of Meridian buckets. Alisha Tucker (So., McComb/McComb) hit a pair of shots to help start the run. She made a bucket off an inbounds play, then added a 3-pointers with 6:35 to play to tie it at 56.

Sadie Williams (So., Gonzales, La./West Monroe) made the next three Bulldog baskets. Her shot from the right elbow gave Gulf Coast a two-point lead, then she made two straight shots from the left wing to answer a Meridian 3-pointer and make it 62-59 with 73 seconds left.

After Meridian (1-1) made a free throw, Bridges made a shot off a fast break with 49.6 seconds left for the final margin.

"The momentum changed when we locked in, got rebounds and slowed the game down to get what we wanted on offense," said Adams.

Gulf Coast plays its first home game on Thursday, Nov. 11, when Gadsden State visits Perkinston. Tipoff at the Weathers-Wentzell Center will be at 5:30 p.m.

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