UTICA, Miss. – The No. 24 Pearl River men's basketball team (10-2 overall; 2-0 MACCC) won a hard-fought contest, 74-72, against the home-standing Hinds Bulldogs (7-6; 0-2) in Utica. The Wildcats held off a determined Bulldog team in the second half to secure its second conference win of the young season.

"I knew going into the game it would be a very tough played game, I think their team plays very physical," PRCC head coach Chris Oney said, "We didn't have much of a play call sheet going into the game on offense. It was going to be important for us to get the stops and rebounds defensively."

Oney talked about the importance of the hard-fought game moving forward.

"It is a good learning lesson for us because we were fortunate enough to win. I think the kids who haven't been through these battles on the road in this conference kind of understand a little bit more now what we are talking about," he said. "But I am proud of them. We didn't play great but I was proud of everybody who hit the floor who was out there with one common goal to win the basketball game. If we can keep that going in the next twelve games, I kind of like our chances."

FIRST HALF

After a slow start, Dylan Brumfield (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) put the Wildcats on the board with a free throw at the 16:59 mark of the half. Brumfield followed with a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up 3-2, a lead they would hold until late in the second half.

Both teams traded baskets before the Wildcats went on a run highlighted by Ty Moore (Grenada), forcing a turnover and converting both free throws after being fouled on a layup at the end of the play to make it 17-7.

The Wildcats continued to push offensively as they led by as many as 14 points before going into the break with a 43-30 lead.

SECOND HALF

Both teams traded points to open the second half as the Bulldogs closed the lead to seven points before a Carlous Williams (Hattiesburg; Harrison Central) putback extended the Wildcat lead back to nine, 49-40.

The Bulldogs fought back to close the gap to two points, 52-20. A putback by Moore gave the Wildcats a lift as they went on an 8-2 run to extend the lead 60-52.

The Wildcats held the lead until late in the second half when the Bulldogs took the lead, 66-65. PRCC regained the lead on the next possession.

The Wildcats carried a 73-72 lead heading into a timeout with 11.5 seconds remaining. The defensive strategy change by the Wildcats led to an errant Bulldog shot. Pearl River finished the game with a free throw to secure the win 74-72.

LEADING THE WAY
Carlous Williams came off the bench to lead the Wildcats with 26 points. Jamahri Hill (Bessemer, Ala.; Berkmar) added 20 points followed by Dylan Brumfield with 13 points.

Oney commented on Williams's scoring performance, "It was great to see it. He continues to keep working, he really cares about winning."

NEXT UP

The Wildcats return to the court on Thursday, January 12. Tipoff inside the Marvin White Coliseum is set for 6:00 PM.

CASHLESS BOX OFFICE 

To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. 

TUNE IN 

Pearl River livestreams all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores. 

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app. 

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