UTICA, Miss. - The Hinds Community College Men's Basketball team took another step forward on Thursday night, continuing their season with a 70-58 victory over Coahoma in the first round of the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Basketball Tournament. This marks the first conference tournament victory since the 2020 season. 

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 15-5 run in the opening five minutes of play to take the early advantage. Hinds continued to shoot well and took the 31-21 lead into the halftime break. Gabe Fajardo was a spark for the Bulldogs early in the second half knocking  down three from beyond the arc to give Hinds a cushion. After some costly turnovers, the Tigers cut the lead to six points. Hinds fought back extend the lead back to double-digits and earned the 70-58 victory over Coahoma in the Region 23 Tournament. 

Jakobe Singleton led all scorers with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Gabe Fajardo finished the contest with 13 points and went 75% from beyond the arc. Austin Ratliff also had 11 points in the game and grabbed eight boards.

Hinds will return to the hardwood for the quarterfinals on Monday, March 10th against #4 seed Northeast Mississippi CC in Booneville. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM. 

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