Raiders outpace Gulf Coast 79-74 to earn road victory
PANAMA CITY, FL - Over the past few weeks, the #3 Raiders have found life on the road to be their kryptonite to what is otherwise an explosive offense. The basketballs had been having a lot of trouble finding the bottom of the net when the team dressed in red were shooting them. Thanks to a reset off of the mid-week BYE they enjoyed, Northwest Florida put that narrative to rest on Saturday. The Raiders offense got their mojo back at Gulf Coast State College in route earning an important 78-73 win against the host Commodores. The win moves NWF to 24-2 overall and 8-1 in the Panhandle standings.
Despite the Raiders leading for the vast majority of the game, it was anything but a comfortable evening for the #3 team in the country. Gulf Coast had their share of runs, including a key one in the second half that saw the Commodores take a brief one-point lead with 6 minutes remaining the game. Momentum seemed to be with the home team and the Raiders were on their heels.
Out of the media timeout shortly thereafter, a different looking NWF team took the floor. Defensively, the intensity was ratcheted up significantly. Gulf Coast found it difficult to get clean looks and the Raiders began attacking the glass with timely rebounds. Those defensive stops allowed NWF's offense to get Gulf Coast on the run and limited their ability to get set on the defensive end. That scrambling led to driving lanes, which the Raiders took advantage of by getting to the rim and to the free throw line. NWF shot 33 free-throws for the game and could have extended the lead even more had they shot better than 57% on the evening.
Gulf Coast did not go quietly, converting steals late in the game into 3-point baskets. But the combination of the Raider guards and Issa Muhammad proved to be too much down the stretch and helped seal the Northwest Florida victory.
It was a big win for NWF as they now have clinched a spot in the FCSAA State/NJCAA Region VIII Tournament. It will be the Raiders first post-season appearance in three seasons.
The Raiders were led in scoring by Tre Clark with 25 points. Deshawndre Washington had 19 points and 12 rebounds while Muhammad added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Raiders will next be in action when they return home to host Chipola College on Wednesday, February 9th at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.