Short bench no problem for MGCCC against NEMCC

PERKINSTON — Shorthanded Mississippi Gulf Coast moved back into a tie for first in the MACCC women's basketball standings with a 59-46 win Monday over Northeast Mississippi at Dantzler Arena. 

The Bulldogs, who dressed only six players, scored the first 16 points and never looked back in a clash of teams that started the game tied for second.

"We put pride in defense," Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. "Everybody that played tonight was able to get on the floor and give us something. Holding them to two points in the first quarter, that spoke volumes about how we started defensively."

Gulf Coast improved to 10-7, 4-1 MACCC. The Bulldogs are tied with Itawamba, Northwest Mississippi and No. 19 Pearl River atop the league, with a trip to Poplarville on Thursday. Tipoff against the Wildcats is at 5:30 p.m.

Taelar Felton (Fr., Clinton/Clinton) led the Bulldogs with 24 points, and Hailey Brumfield (Fr., Amite, La./Amite) had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Gulf Coast held Northeast (11-9, 3-2) scoreless until 98 seconds were left in the first quarter. The Tigers missed their first 11 shots and turned the ball over five times.

Gulf Coast led by double-digits the rest of the game, surviving the final six minutes with only five players after Katelyn Brinkley (Fr., Ridgeland/Ridgeland) fouled out. She finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Felton made an array of highlight buckets in the lane, making play after play despite being 5-foot-3.

"Felton is Little Dynamite," Adams said. "That's what I call her. Her understanding as a freshman guard what she does have in her toolbox is great, and she's not even tapping all the way into that yet. To see nights like this to get her confidence back, that she can shoot the ball, get to the rack, play the mid-range, she's so explosive and can score at the rim even when she's getting fouled."

Gulf Coast responded after a disappointing loss Friday at Mississippi Delta.

"It was a great bounceback win, and it was an even greater bounceback win with us facing adversity with so many injuries," Adams said. "They're willing their way through wins and keeping us in the fight." 

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