Ellisville – The Hinds Bulldog basketball program fell last night (1/11) 78-86 in a closely contested battle to the Jones Bobcats last evening on the road in Ellisville.

"In the end, our shots just didn't fall like we had hoped, but that's basketball sometimes. I'm proud of the way our guys battled throughout the whole game, but there are always things we can get better at. Tonight, we needed to do a better job with our assignments and that starts with me and my staff," said head coach Yusef Fitzgerald.

The Bulldogs went into halftime with just a one-point deficit trailing the Bobcats 43-44. The back and forth game saw Jones at one time leading by 10 points (78-68) with just 3:42 remaining only to have Hinds cut the Bobcat lead to just four points (80-76) with 1:42 left in the game.  That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get before finally falling in the end by eight points (78-86) to the Bobcats.

The Bulldogs were led offensively by guard Peyton Taylor who dropped a season-high 22 points. 18 of his points came from behind they arc as Taylor drained six three-pointers in just 12 attempts (50%). Additionally, Stephane Ayangma continued to impress as he went 8-12 (66%) from the field scoring 20 points of his own. Ayangma also added 11 rebounds and one block to secure his fifth double-double of the season. 

With the loss, Hinds goes to 7-4 overall and 0-2 in the MACJC South Division. They will look to bounce back this upcoming Monday (January 14) when they square off against the Meridian Eagles on the road at Meridian with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Fans can follow the Bulldog Basketball program on their journey throughout the season on twitter @HindsCC_MBB. Fans can also look for updates and ways to watch the Bulldogs live on the main Hinds Athletics twitter @HindsCCSports.