Box Score

EUNICE, La. – For all intents and purposes, Arianna Dargin (Iowa HS) is a bench player in name only.  The sensational sub shined again in LSU Eunice's 78-72 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast, but the key to the Bengals' third straight home victory came from the rest of the reserves.

LSU Eunice (5-2) used 43 bench points to help seal another victory over a Region 23 opponent.

It was an uncharacteristic start for the Bengals.  Gulf Coast cruised out to an early 6-0 lead capitalizing on several early LSUE mistakes.  The Bengals responded with a 11-2 run capped off by Rylie James' (Basile HS) three pointer to take an 11-8 lead with 5:34 left in the first quarter.

The combination of Shelli Thigpen and Azaria Howard kept the Bulldogs close, scoring 14 of Mississippi Gulf Coast's 18 first quarter points to hold a three-point edge at the end of the first.

The Bengals then ignited in the second quarter behind their second unit.  LSU Eunice exploded for 32 points in the second quarter including 15 points from the bench.  The Bengals used an 18-6 run over the final 5:05 of the half to take a 47-34 lead into the locker rooms.

Dargin led the Bengal scorers with 10 points at intermission.  The Iowa product scored a team-high 16 points on the night.

The second half saw LSUE, again, get out to a slow start.  Gulf Coast crept back within two points to end the third quarter, 57-55.

LSUE responded with a quick 11-0 run to start the 4^th quarter capped off by four straight points by Gabrielle Harrington (Erath HS) to push the lead back to double digits, 68-55.

The charity stripe helped seal the deal for the Bengals.  LSUE went 9-for-12 (75.0%) from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, including a perfect 4-for-4 from Dargin.  The Bengals were 16-for-21 (76.1%) from the free throw line for the game.

All 10 Bengals to see the floor scored, including a season's best 12 points by Whitney Landry (Iota HS).  Rylie James added 12 points in the victory.

The Bengals now turn their attention to a Friday-Saturday doubleheader against Southwestern Christian.  The first ever meeting between the two schools takes place at 6:00PM inside the HPRE Center.  Fans can find the latest Bengals information on social media via Twitter (@LSUEBengalsWBB), Facebook (@LSUEuniceBasketball) and Instagram (@LSUEBengals).