Raiders Improve to 2-1 in Conference Play After Defeating Pensacola On Wednesday
NICEVILLE, Florida – On Wednesday, Northwest Florida State men's basketball secured their second consecutive victory by defeating Pensacola 64-57, elevating their overall record to an impressive 19-2.
Despite facing a near-collapse of their 16-point lead in the second half, as the Pirates shot at a 51.6% clip in the final 20 minutes, the Raiders persevered and emerged with a hard-fought seven-point victory. This marked their eighth consecutive win over the Pirates.
In a well-balanced scoring effort, four Raiders reached double figures in the contest. Jamal Sumlin and Tajuan Simpkins combined to contribute 30 points, with Simpkins achieving his first career double-double by securing ten rebounds. RaSheed Jones delivered a solid performance with 12 points, including three triples, along with a pair of blocks and steals. Karahan Efeoglu added 11 points and six boards to his stat sheet, while Jadyn Shider recorded his ninth double-figure rebounding performance of the season with 10 boards.
FIRST HALF
The opening minutes saw Pensacola taking an early 4-0 lead, sinking two shots. RaSheed Jones responded with a pair of free throws, and Jadyn Shider leveled the score at four with a jumper around the 17:30 mark of the first half. Tajuan Simpkins secured the Raiders' first lead with a corner three, assisted by RaSheed Jones. NWF maintained a three-point lead for the next six minutes until Pensacola tied the game with a triple at the 10:35 mark. Pensacola then took a 16-13 lead with a layup and made free throw under the 10-minute mark. The lead persisted for a few minutes until Karahan Efeoglu's layup at 4:31 restored the Raiders' advantage. Back-to-back shots by Jones and Sumlin initiated a 7-2 run, extending through the remainder of the half, allowing the Raiders to head into the break with a 27-20 lead.
SECOND HALF
Efeoglu opened the second half with consecutive layups, pushing NWF to a double-digit lead. A little later, Efeoglu drained a three from the wing, expanding the Raiders' lead to 14. Jamal Sumlin's layup at 17:10 marked the Raiders' largest lead at 16. The double-digit lead persisted for the next seven minutes until Pensacola's 9-2 run narrowed the gap to single digits, eventually turning into a 13-2 run, closing the deficit to four with 8:05 remaining. Jones halted the run with a made three at the 7:24 mark, giving NWF a 49-42 advantage. Despite the Pirates reducing the deficit to as little as one, the Raiders initiated a push to regain their cushion. Key free throws down the stretch allowed the Raiders to establish an eight-point lead with just over 30 seconds left. The Raiders successfully fended off Pensacola's late push, securing a 64-57 victory.
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to action this Saturday, hitting the road for another conference matchup against Gulf Coast with a 4:00 PM tip-off in Panama City.
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