Bulldogs season ends after loss to BRCC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Baton Rouge Community College (20-8) | 37 | 43 | 80 |
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (17-12) | 33 | 33 | 66 |
PERKINSTON — A cold-shooting first 10 minutes out of the halftime locker room was too much for Mississippi Gulf Coast to overcome Thursday in the first round of the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Basketball Tournament.
The eighth-seeded Bulldogs had their season ended by ninth-seeded Baton Rogue 80-68 at Dantzler Arena.
The Bears outscored the Bulldogs 22-9 over that stretch, and they could never get what had been a four-point halftime deficit back to single digits.
"When you're missing shots, it affects your defense," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "It affects everything. I thought we didn't show some poise there early in the second half when they went on their run. We took some quick shots, and we were pressing. We really struggled that first 10 minutes of the second half."
Gulf Coast was led by Larry Lee (So., Utica/Raymond) and Matthew Hinton (Fr., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) who finished with 14 each. They were the only Bulldogs in double-digits.
The inside duo shot 10-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line. The rest of the team shot 25 percent from the floor and less than 50 percent from the charity stripe.
Gulf Coast wraps up its season 17-12. Baton Rouge (20-8), which shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half, takes a 14-game win streak to Ellisville on Monday to play top-seeded Jones in the quarterfinals.
It was the final game as Bulldogs for Lee, Jabbari Barry (So., Lake Charles, La./Barbe), Kaue Kalinowski (So., Curitiba, Brazil/Divine Savior) and Thomas Tangle (So., Standing Pine/Choctaw Central). Lee, Barry and Kalinowski went 36-22 at Gulf Coast, helping get last year's team to the region championship game. Tangle transferred in last summer.
"Those guys created some stability," Miller said. "We're back in the conversation. I'm really pleased with them. They've laid a foundation with the two years they've given us."
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
