NICEVILLE, Fla. — A slow start doomed the No. 9 Pearl River women's basketball team Friday afternoon as the Wildcats fell in their top-10 showdown with No. 5 Gulf Coast State College, 67-52.

Pearl River was outscored 24-13 in the first quarter of play but only trailed 43-39 in the final three quarters.

"Gulf Coast State is extremely well-coached. They've got a really talented team," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "They did a really good job of executing their game plan. I'm proud of our girls and the fight that we had tonight. I felt like we represented Pearl River, our conference and our region the right way. I love this team, and it's an honor to be their coach. I'm proud of their fight.

"If you take away the first quarter, it's a four-point game and anything can happen. We outscored them in second-chance points and on the bench. We made them foul us and made them turn it over. We just weren't able to score around the basket. There were just a few times when we needed a play here or there and didn't get it. Against an opponent like this, your margin of error is very slim."

GAME RECAP
Gulf Coast State (8-1 overall) moved ahead 5-3 early in the first quarter before Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio; Charles F. Brush) nailed two shots from the free-throw line to square the game right back up.

The Commodores stretched their lead right back out to 10-5, prompting a response from the Wildcats (7-1). The ball was passed to Marley Freeman (Brandon), who looked up to see Tiir Nyok (Highpoint, S.C.; Southwest Guilford) all along under the basket on the other side of the court. Freeman heaved the ball the length of the floor to the Gardner-Webb transfer for an easy layup. On the very next offensive possession, Freeman lasered a pass down low to Alabama State transfer Samya Brooks (Pontotoc) for an easy bucket, 10-9.

Following a GCSC free throw, Alexis Arrington (Terry) knocked down a layup to square the game up at 11 apiece. Gulf Coast State College responded by going on an 11-point run to take a 22-11 advantage over the Wildcats. Arrington broke up the run with a pair of free throws, but the Commodores headed into the second quarter with a 24-13 lead.

The teams traded baskets for much of the rest of the game. Brooks and Johnson-Matthews helped cut the deficit to nine points early in the second quarter as Brooks had a perfect trip to the line and Johnson-Matthews banked in an easy layup, 28-19. Gulf Coast State continued to pressure the Wildcats and extended its lead to 33-22 with 3:54 remaining in the half.

Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) got on the scoresheet by fighting through heavy contact, laying the ball off the glass, and in, 35-24. Just before the halftime buzzer, Brooks picked up another layup to send the contest to the break with a 38-26 score line.

Pearl River struck first to begin the third quarter as Johnson-Matthews nailed a jumper. Following a GCSC basket, Johnson-Matthews grabbed her own miss and put it right back up and in, 42-30. Every Pearl River basket was matched by the Commodores as they grabbed a 54-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Pearl River received some big points down the stretch from Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy), and Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) hit from beyond the arc, but Gulf Coast State College walked away with a 67-52 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS
Johnson-Matthews led Pearl River's efforts with a team-high 16 points. She also finished with 10 rebounds to collect a double-double. The Wright State transfer added in five steals and an assist.

Hillard was second on the team with nine points. She added in three rebounds.

Fletcher was proud of the play of Arrington and Freeman, who filled in at the point guard position for an injured Avery Young. Arrington had seven points, four rebounds and two assists. Freeman finished with five rebounds and two assists.

"I was really proud of Lex and Marley for the way they stepped up with Avery's absence with her concussion," Fletcher said. "We knew we were in for a challenge without here, but those two were ready to play."

NEXT UP
The Wildcats get right back to action on Saturday as they take on No. 1 Northwest Florida State College at 3 p.m. in Niceville, Fla. The games will be livestreamed at NWFRaiders.com.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).