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Raider Basketball Hosts Tallahassee Saturday for Third and Final Matchup
Posted: Feb 14, 2025

Raider Basketball Hosts Tallahassee Saturday for Third and Final Matchup

 

WOMEN

#2 Northwest Florida State (22-1, 6-1) vs. Tallahassee State (9-14, 1-6)

February 15, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. CST | Niceville, FL

MEN

#18 Northwest Florida State (17-7, 3-4) vs. Tallahassee State (16-10, 1-6)

February 15, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. CST | Niceville, FL

 

Live Stream: https://nwfraiders.com/multimedia/WATCH_LIVE

 

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest State's men's and women's basketball teams are set to return to the court this Saturday for another home game, facing Tallahassee for the third and final time in conference play.

The Raiders are coming off Wednesday's matchups against Chipola College. The women's team took on the No. 3-ranked Indians and secured a hard-fought 57-50 victory, evening the season series at one apiece. Meanwhile, the men battled through a tightly contested 40-minute showdown but ultimately fell to the Indians, 69-64, marking their second consecutive loss and fourth in conference play.

For the Eagles, it's been a challenging stretch for both squads. The Lady Eagles hold a 9-14 overall record and are 1-6 in conference play, entering Saturday's matchup on a five-game losing streak. The men's team stands at 16-10 overall but also sits at 1-6 in conference play, riding a four-game losing streak.

The last meeting between these teams took place in Tallahassee at the start of February. The Raider women dominated in a 62-49 victory, while the men secured a thrilling 82-79 win, powered by a standout 38-point, 12-rebound performance from Davion Hill.

Saturday's matchups carry significant weight for both Raider squads. The women aim to maintain their hold on first place in the conference and secure a top seed in the FCSAA State Tournament next month. Meanwhile, the men are determined to rebound from back-to-back losses and climb back to .500 in conference play, in hopes of securing a spot in the tournament.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  • Niceville Chick-fil-A will be at Saturday's game against Tallahassee, handing out coupons and hosting a halftime contest where one lucky fan will win FREE Chick-fil-A for a year.

 

STATE TOURNAMENT PASSES ON SALE!!

  • Fans can now purchase passes for this year's FCSAA State Tournament, taking place March 12-15 at Raider Arena in Niceville. Passes will be available for $40 each (cash/check only) in the Raider Arena breezeway at all remaining home basketball games. You can also purchase your passes online by clicking HERE

 

FASTBREAKS (WOMEN)

Northwest Florida State women's basketball remains No. 2 in the latest NJCAA poll, a position they have held for nine of the past 11 weeks and took sole possession of first place in the Panhandle Conference with their win over Chipola Thursday.

The Raiders are riding a four-game winning streak, which include wins over #8 Gulf Coast and #3 Chipola. Meanwhile, the Eagles are in the midst of a rough patch, having lost five consecutive games, and six of their last ten, including twice to Northwest Florida.  

The last meeting between the Raiders and Eagles took place in Tallahassee on February 1, where the Raiders came away with a 62-49 victory. Their first meeting was in early January here in Niceville, where once again, the Raiders rode to victory defeating the Eagles 76-32.

Mekhia Chase (12.9 PPG), Nevaeh Scott (10.7 PPG), and Deborah Davenport (9.9 PPG) lead the Raiders in scoring. For the Eagles, Satianna Davy (12.2), Shaniah Ervin (10.2) and Kalisha Phlips (8.4) pace the team in scoring.

Chase has been the Raiders' most efficient shooter, converting 55.2% of her attempts—ranking 26th nationally—while Scott has been lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down 46.9% of her three-point attempts, the seventh-best mark in the country.

Northwest Florida continues to showcase its dominance as one of the nation's most well-rounded teams. The Raiders rank 10th in field goal percentage (45.8%), 23rd in three-point percentage (32.8%), seventh in blocks per game (4.8), third in points allowed per game (45.7), and fifth in opponent field goal percentage (30.5%).

 

FASTBREAKS (MEN)

The Raiders dropped three spots to #18 in the NJCAA poll and fell to fourth in the Panhandle Conference standings following back-to-back losses to Gulf Coast and Chipola over the last week.

The last meeting between the Raiders and Eagles took place in Tallahassee on February 1 where the Raiders snuk away with a 82-79 victory riding a 38-point, 12 rebound performance by Raiders leading scorer, Davion Hill. There first meeting took place right here in Niceville on January 11, where once again, the Raider edged out Tallahassee for a 73-65 victory.

Offensively, the Raiders have shown balance, with three players averaging double figures—Davion Hill (14.4 PPG), Dwayne Pierce (11.5 PPG), and Josh Hayes (10.1 PPG)—while Curtis Williams (9.3 PPG), Braylon Roman (9.3 PPG), and Nathan Ojukwu (8.3 PPG) are also key contributors.  The Eagles are led in scoring by Julius Clark (16.2), Julius King Jr. (14.9 and Tahj Johnson (9.9).

The Raiders are in unfamiliar territory, being under .500 in conference play for the first time since 2021. That year, the team went 3-13 in Panhandle Conference play. Since then, the Raiders have only lost 14 conference games, including the four they've dropped this season.