PERKINSTON — Down 16 with five minutes to play, Mississippi Gulf Coast staged a furious rally but could never pull even with LSU Eunice, losing 71-67 in men’s basketball action.

 

The Bulldogs got it to 69-67 with 53 seconds on the last of many drives by Donovan Sanders (So., Walls/Lake Cormorant), but didn’t get any closer.

 

Gulf Coast (6-6) lost its first game at new Dantzler Arena. The Bengals are now 9-2.

 

It was the final non-conference game for the Bulldogs. They’ll tip off MACCC action in the first game back from the Christmas break when they travel to Holmes on Jan. 5.

 

Sanders led all scorers with 20 points. He fouled out in the final seconds, and LSU Eunice hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to ice the game.

 

Darius Dawson (So., Sumter S.C./West Florence) had a game-high 12 rebounds, his third straight game with double-digit boards. JaVon Anderson (So., Columbia S.C./Ridge View) had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, and Jabarie Robinson (Fr., Raymond/Raymond) had 13 points.

 

Gulf Coast struggled from the free-throw line in the first half, making only 2-of-9. That, plus 11 turnovers, helped dig a 40-33 hole at halftime.

 

The Bulldogs held the Bengals under 26 percent from the 3-point line.

 

Gulf Coast trailed 67-51 with 4:20 to play before cranking up its press. A quick 8-0 run took a chunk out of the deficit, and LSU Eunice missed the front end of two one-and-ones to help expand that streak to 12-0.

 

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.