NWF drops close road contest at TCC

TALLAHASSEE, FL - A forgettable week for the Northwest Florida men's basketball team came to close on the road at Tallahassee on Saturday.  Off the heels of a home loss to Chipola on Wednesday, the Raiders were anxious to get back on track against the Eagles. 

After a sluggish start, NWF played great in segments for the remainder of the game, capturing momentum and even taking a lead late in the second half and it appeared as though the Raiders were going to check a mark in the win column for the third time this season against TCC. However, instead, NWF's offense sputtered down the stretch and Tallahassee made timely shots to defeat the Raiders 71-67.  The loss was the second straight Northwest Florida loss and dropped NWF's overall record to 24-4 overall and 8-3 in conference play.

For the game's first 15 minutes, the Raiders seemed to be a step slow before they gained their footing and turned it up to another level.  To close out the half, the Raiders cut a double-digit deficit to just 4 points headed into the locker room.  The run was spurred on by tough defense and a much faster pace on the offensive end. 

The momentum NWF took into halftime carried over into the second half.  The Raiders' attacking style saw them race past the Eagles to take a 7 point lead midway through the period.  TCC, however, climbed back thanks to the Raiders having difficulty scoring the rest of the game.  Many shots rimmed in and out and TCC turned those misses into makes on the other end. A narrow Tallahassee lead was secured due to clutch free throws by the Eagles in the game's final minute.

Northwest Florida was led in scoring by Deshawndre Washington with 19 points and Kam Woods added 11.

The Raiders will have a week to regroup before closing out the regular season at home vs. Pensacola on Saturday, February 19 at 4:00 p.m.

For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.