Raiders Persevere in Tough Road Win Over Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – On Wednesday, Northwest Florida State men's basketball displayed resilience with a gritty road triumph over conference rival Tallahassee, staging a remarkable second-half comeback where the Raiders scored 44 points with an impressive 53.8% field goal percentage—more than double their first-half shooting performance.

Despite the game's challenging nature, marked by a total of 37 personal fouls and eight technical fouls (four each for both teams), NWF spent most of the contest trailing. However, late-game heroics from Tajuan Simpkins and Jadyn Shider, who combined for 32 second-half points, turned the tide. Simpkins concluded the game with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Shider recorded 19 points and an impressive 12 rebounds. Karahan Efeoglu played a pivotal role, contributing 13 points and securing seven rebounds.

The Raiders dominated the glass throughout the night, boasting a significant plus-15 rebound margin. Despite Tallahassee's advantage in three-point conversions, NWF capitalized on second-chance points (+13) and outscored the Eagles in points off turnovers (+7). The hard-fought victory showcased the Raiders' determination and resilience away from home this season, as they now improve to 8-0 when playing away from Raider Arena this season. Although, this does mark the first official road victory for the Raiders, the team has played a total of seven neutral games against teams outside the comfort of their home floor.

FIRST HALF

The scoring in the first half began with Jadyn Shider's second-chance layup for the Raiders, just over a minute into the game. The Eagles responded by securing their first lead with a successful triple from the wing. Despite a couple of misses on the Raiders' end, the Eagles extended their lead to 8-2 with a layup and a three-point attempt. Tavion Banks forced a crucial Eagle turnover, leading to Tajuan Simpkins emphatically slamming the ball to narrow the deficit to four. Karahan Efeoglu contributed with a pump fake layup, reducing the Eagles' lead to three.

Simpkins nailed the Raiders' first three, bringing the score to 11-10. In a dynamic sequence, Simpkins stole the ball, had a clear path to the basket, and dunked again, tying the game at 14. A brief scuffle resulted in four technical fouls, with Banks and Sumlin receiving them for the Raiders. The lead exchanged hands until Tallahassee hit a triple just over the four-minute mark, ending the half with a narrow 22-18 lead.

SECOND HALF

Karahan Efeoglu opened the second half with a layup, but the Eagles quickly answered with a three. Tallahassee extended their lead with a successful layup and another three, reaching a six-point advantage with 17:51 left. Efeoglu responded promptly with a three of his own, keeping the game within reach. Jadyn Shider's back-to-back layups helped the Raiders regain the lead. However, the Eagles bounced back with consecutive threes, taking a 45-44 lead.

With 5:30 remaining, Jamal Sumlin tied the game with a successful free throw, and Efeoglu reclaimed the lead with a putback layup, putting NWF up by two. Tajuan Simpkins made a significant impact with a pull-up three, followed by Shider's layup, securing an eight-point lead with 2:33 left. From that point onward, the Raiders controlled the game and secured a 62-53 victory over Tallahassee.

UP NEXT

The Raiders will be back at home next week when they take on another conference opponent in Pensacola on January 24, beginning at 7:30 PM from Raider Arena before hitting the road again for two games against Gulf Coast (Jan. 27) and Chipola (Jan. 31).

For complete coverage of Northwest Florida State Athletics, visit nwfraiders.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Northwest Florida Raiders), Instagram (@nwfraiders) and X (@NWFRaiders)

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