UTICA – The Hinds Community College Bulldog basketball team cruised to their fifth straight win Monday night (Jan. 13) as they defeated the Meridian Community College (MCC) Eagles 85-70.

"We were able to fight through some adversity and come out with a win. That is what I am most proud of, our ability to handle different types of difficult situations and still persevere," said third year head coach Yusef Fitzgerald.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-point lead (42-31) at halftime, and expanded upon that lead in the second half to give them the 15-point victory.

Jerrez Porter led the way for Hinds with 15 points. Porter shot an impressive 88% (7-8) from the field, and also collected six rebounds and one assist.

"Porter came to play tonight. That is a testament to his hard work. I tell our guys all the time that you have to put in the work in the dark to be able to perform in the light," added Fitzgerald.

One of the keys to the Bulldogs recent success has been their lights out shooting. As a team, Hinds shot 57.4% (31-54) from the field against MCC. They were also able to get to the charity stripe 23 times last night and made 19 of those 23 free throw attempts (83%).

"What is really special about this bunch is that on any given night, anyone of these guys can be the star," added Fitzgerald.

Furthermore, 12 Bulldogs saw the court last night and played significant minutes. Ten Bulldogs etched their names in the scoring column, and five players scored double-digit points.

Hinds (8-2, 3-0) will take its five-game winning streak on the road this Thursday (Jan. 16) for its toughest test thus far against the NJCAA's fifth ranked Pearl River Community College Wildcats (11-0, 3-0). The MACJC South Division matchup will tip-off on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Poplarville.

Fans can tune into Thursday game live at the link below.

Hinds @ PRCC - Watch Live - https://www.prccmedia.com/

Hinds Top Performers vs. Meridian
#2 – Jerrez Porter: 15 points | 88% Field Goal Percentage (7-8) | 6 rebounds | 1 assist |

#23 – Ladarius Marshall: 15 points | 100% field goal percentage (6-6) | 7 rebounds | 1 block

#3 – Peyton Taylor: 11 points | 67% field goal percentage (4-6) | 1 rebound

#0 – Kejuan Clements: 10 points | 100% field goal percentage (2-2) | 3 rebounds | 4 assists

#5 – Dontavious Smith:  10 points | 75% field goal percentage (3-4) | 5 rebounds