No. 4 Raiders use big second half to run away from Gulf Coast
PANAMA CITY, FL - The Raiders entered their league debut vs. Gulf Coast featuring a very seasoned coaching staff in the rigors of conference play, especially head coach Greg Heiar. They had experienced the intensity and challenges that the league provides, seemingly with each opponent, and especially on the road.
In contrast, every player on the NWF Men's Basketball team got their first taste of Panhandle Conference action on Tuesday evening at Gulf Coast State College. And while the first half had a little bit of a sour taste to it, the second half left the Raiders feeling awfully sweet as they ran away from the Commodores to seal the 79-67 victory.
Gulf Coast got off to a strong start in the first half, leading the majority of the period in route to a 34-32 lead over NWF heading into the locker room. The Raiders, however, struggled to find their rhythm offensively, shooting just 39% from the field, and seemed out of sorts.
The second half proved to be much different. Thanks to second half adjustments, and perhaps a refocus, NWF ratcheted up the intensity greatly on both ends of the floor, shooting 66% from the field in route to outscoring Gulf Coast 47-33.
NWF was led in scoring by Tre Clark with 22 points, followed by Michael Jefferson with 12.
The Raiders improve to 17-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. They will next be in action as they return to Raider Arena for their conference home opener vs. Chipola on Thursday, January 6th at 7:30pm
For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.