PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast turned up the defensive pressure, held East Mississippi scoreless the last 5:29 and beat the Lions 46-44 on Sophomore Night.

 

“They answered back the last five minutes when the defensive pressure picked up,” Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams said. “I could see the hunger in our eyes. We’ve been really struggling, but I finally started to see us coming back to being the team from earlier this season. Against Co-Lin, we were better, and I saw that team tonight.”

 

The Bulldogs (14-9, 6-8 MACCC) bounced back from a crushing last-second loss at Copiah-Lincoln on Tuesday. They turned the tables on EMCC (11-11, 8-6).

 

Elsie Harris (So., Mobile, Ala./B.C. Rain), who led the Bulldogs with 14 points, scored on driving layup with 23.9 seconds left to tie the game at 44. She scored 12 of her points in the second half.

 

East Mississippi advanced the ball to the frontcourt with a timeout, but then turned the ball over when the player who made the inbound pass didn’t establish herself in the court before receiving a handoff back.

 

Harris milked the clock between the circles, then started a pick-and-roll with Sharisse Bridges (So., Jackson/Callaway).

 

“Coach Hope said once you come off that screen, roll hard,” Bridges said. “Then she threw the ball up, and I had to make the play. I missed a ocuple of easy ones (earlier), but I couldn’t hold on to it, I had to move on.”

 

East Mississippi got a driving shot off in the lane before the buzzer, but it didn’t go in. That was the final missed shot in a string of them for the Lions. They missed four free throws and all their field goals while Gulf Coast closed on a 10-0 run.

 

“Defensive pressure and energy,” Harris said. “Nothing more and nothing less. Wasn’t anything but great effort.”

 

The Bulldogs said farewell to eight sophomores during ceremonies before Thursday’s game. They played their last home games, but there’s still another opportunity to keep playing.

 

Gulf Coast will sit out the MACCC Tournament next week, but the Bulldogs will be in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament the following week. The seeding and schedule will be announced later.

 

“This class is pushing us in the right direction,” Adams said. “We’re 14-9 in the regular season. From the beginning, we’ve been setting the tone, and I think they’re the Region 23 champions in that locker room.”

 

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