PERKINSTON — The Mississippi Gulf Coast women went cold Monday in the fourth quarter, and when the Bulldogs finally got going it was a little too late.

Copiah-Lincoln won 52-51 at the Weathers-Wentzell Center, despite a trio of Gulf Coast players in double-digits.

Sharisse Bridges (Fr., Jackson/Callaway) led the Bulldogs with 12 points, and Ayanna McNairy (Fr., Brookhaven/Brookhaven) and Alisha Tucker (Fr., McComb/McComb) had 11 each.

Gulf Coast scored the first five points of the fourth quarter on a pair of free throws by Bridges and one of McNairy's three 3-pointers. That gave the Bulldogs a 38-36 lead.

Co-Lin (2-0) ran off the 10 points before TK Catchings (Fr., New Hebron/Simpson Academy) hit a pair of free throws to break the run. Gulf Coast would trail 47-42 with 3:25 left.

Catchings scored from the post, and Bridges from the left corner with 2:03 left to make a three-point deficit. After Gulf Coast and Co-Lin exchanged buckets, the Wolves made 1-of-2 free throws for a 50-46 lead with 57.4 seconds left.

Tucker made both her free throws with 31.6 seconds left to make a two-point game. Gulf Coast made all six of its free-throws in the final quarter to finish 10-for-16 from the line.

But Co-Lin's pair of freebies with 4.5 seconds to play made Tucker's buzzer-beating 3-pointer academic.

Gulf Coast (0-3) led by three after 10 minutes and were up 20-18 at halftime.

The Bulldogs return to action Thursday with a road game against Hinds. Tipoff in Utica is set for 6 p.m.

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

By: Don Hammack
Sports Information Director
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College