7th-seeded Bulldogs start title defense Thursday

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast will try to take the first step in defending its NJCAA Region 23 women's basketball championship Thursday at Dantzler Arena.

It's the first round of the 2025 tournament, with seventh-seeded Gulf Coast (13-13) hosting 10^th-seeded Holmes (13-16).

"We've been trying to get to this moment and back to 0-0," Bulldogs coach Hope Adams said. "When you get to postseason, you know you're one-and-done. That lights a different fire under your players. 'Am I ready to stop playing?'"

Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $7 for adults or $5 for youth online, or $10 and $7 at the gate. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

Gulf Coast won the regular-season matchup between the teams 67-51 at Perk. Dekyra Mitchell (Fr., Durant/Holmes County) led all scorers with 26 points, including 5-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs lead the MACCC in free-throw shooting (72.1 percent). They'll be looking to put together a full 40 minutes at both ends of the court.

Holmes shoots a lot of 3-pointers, ranking second in makes (5.3) and attempts (21.3).

"They're a tough team. They're coached by a tough coach. They've knocked off some really tough opponents, and they had Itawamba down by 14 the other night. They're going to be a tough out. They've got tough guards who just don't stop coming at you."

The winner advances to the quarterfinals with a Monday trip to Fulton to play Itawamba. Tipoff will be at 5 p.m.

NJCAA Region 23 Women's Basketball Tournament

First Round

Higher seed hosts

Thursday, March 6

No. 5 Mississippi Delta vs. No. 12 East Mississippi, Moorhead, 5:30 p.m.

No. 6 Southwest Mississippi vs. No. 11 Northeast Mississippi, Summit, 5:30 p.m.

No. 7 Gulf Coast vs. No. 10 Holmes, Perkinston, 5:30 p.m.

No. 8 Meridian vs. No. 9 LSU Eunice, Meridian, 5:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals

High seed hosts

Monday, March 10

No. 1 Pearl River vs. Meridian-LSU Eunice winner, Poplarville, TBA

No. 2 Itawamba vs. Gulf Coast-Holmes winner, Fulton, 5 p.m.

No. 3 Coahoma vs. Southwest Mississippi-Northwest Mississippi winner, Clarksdale, TBA

No. 4 Northeast Mississippi vs. Mississippi Delta-East Mississippi winner, Booneville. 5:30 p.m.

Semifinals

Played at Poplarville

Friday, March 14

Finals

Played at Poplarville

Saturday, March 15

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