PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast quickly turned around a three-point halftime deficit and pulled away from Baton Rouge in the final men’s basketball game of the calendar year.

 

The Bulldogs won 81-63, scoring 52 points after the break. Lee Flenor (So., South Miami/Miami, Fla.) had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Caleb McCarty (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) also had 16 points.

 

“We went with a big lineup tonight,” Gulf Coast coach Tim Ryan said. “That’s all we had. Both Caleb and Lee dominated inside. They were both big. Lee did a tremendous job tonight helping us break the press.”

 

It turned into a dunkfest down the stretch with five slams in the final seven minutes. The Bulldogs shot 63 percent from behind the 3-point line in the second half, matching the overall field-goal percentage, while holding the Bears (2-99) to 33 percent from the field.

 

Melvion Flanagan (So., Peabody/Alexandria, La.) had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Calvin Johnson (So., Long Beach/Long Beach), who started alongside McCarty with two starters out of the lineup, had 10 points.

 

The Bulldogs were down 32-29 at halftime but ripped off a 13-2 run over the first six minutes. Flanagan had a four-point play and another 3-pointer on his way to accounting for 10 points in that stretch.

 

Gulf Coast heads into the holiday break tied for fourth in the MACCC with a 1-1 conference mark.

 

“We think we should have been 10-1 (overall) instead of 9-2, but I think they’ve progressed,” Ryan said. “What I’m really happy with is how we’ve gotten better. But if we want to be there at the end, we’re going to have to get better in certain aspects of the game. Taking care of the ball is probably the main one.”

 

The Bulldogs return to action Jan. 6 when Mississippi Delta visits Perkinston.

 

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