Raiders Survive Pioneers 2nd Half Comeback, Win 106-105

NICEVILLE, Fla. - Northwest Florida shot out of the gates today, taking an early 15-5 lead over Indian River. The Pioneers hung around for the whole game and forced Raider fans to stay on the edge of their seat until the final buzzer went off with the Raiders claiming a one-point victory over the Southern Conference Champions.

The Raiders were firing on all cylinders in the first half, scoring 55 points before intermission behind Chad Baker-Mazara's 5-5 effort from 3 in the first half. Northwest Florida was up by as much as 20 points in the first half. However, Indian River came out aggressive in the 2nd half with a full-court press and the Raiders struggled to get the ball down the court. Indian River's defense forced 24 turnovers on the night. However, when the Raiders broke the press, it led to easy points as Northwest Florida scored 56 points inside the paint.

Despite the struggles in the second half, Northwest Florida was deadly from the field as the Raiders finished the game 39-64 (60.9%) from the field and 8-13 (61.5%) from beyond the arc. Chad Baker-Mazara led the Raiders with 28 points, including the 2 free throws with 4.6 seconds left to push the lead to 4 points. Baker-Mazara was 9-14 from the field and 6-8 from 3. Kasean Pryor, held out for much of the game due to foul trouble, was able to collect 16 points on 6-7 shooting in 23 minutes. Marcus Niblack continues to be the court general for the Raiders as he scored 11 points, dished out 8 assists, and collected 7 rebounds. 

Northwest Florida improves to 24-7 on the year and will turn their focus to Chipola as they take on the Indians tomorrow at 8:00 PM for the 4th time this season. Chipola barely survived vs. #8 Miami Dade as the Indians hit a layup with 3 seconds left to come away with a 62-60 victory. In the previous 3 matchups, Chipola has come out victorious in 2 of the games, with the home team winning each of the matchups. Tomorrow's game will be a rematch of the 2022 Region 8 Semifinal, where the Indians came away with a victory en route to winning the Region 8 State Championship.

For more information on the FCSAA Region 8 State Tournament, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @Region8Tourney on Twitter.