Raiders Remain Perfect on the Road After Defeating Tallahassee 84-70 On Wednesday
TALLAHASSEE — Northwest Florida State men's basketball picked up their 12th road win of the season on Wednesday after beating Tallahassee 84-70, taking the season series 2-1 in the process.
As a team, the Raiders shot the ball effectively, connecting on 51.0% of their shot attempts, including 33.3% from three and 82.8% from the charity stripe. The Raiders were led in scoring by Jamal Sumlin, who exploded for a career-high 29 points while adding four rebounds and three assists to his totals.
Jamal Sumlin was also a menace to the Eagles' defense. The Brooklyn native finished the game with 18 points, adding six rebounds and a pair of steals to his mix. Tyrese Elliott scored 14 points for the game off the bench, connecting on 60.0% of his shot attempts.
The Raiders dominated the boards tonight. NWF hauled in 16 more rebounds (37) than Tallahassee tonight (21). Jadyn Snider was a monster on the glass, collecting 11 rebounds while adding 10 points, giving him his seventh double-double this season.
This game was crucial for NWF as they stayed within striking distance of first place in the Panhandle and have a serious chance of clinching a spot in the State Tournament next month if they can avoid any more setbacks.
FIRST HALF
Tallahassee took an early 6-2 lead after Michael Dudley drilled back-to-back three-point attempts to open the game. The Raiders defense would respond by holding the Eagles offense scoreless over the next three minutes of play, allowing the offense to take the lead with a 7-0 scoring run. The Eagles would finally snap out of their cold spell with a triple from the wing, tying the game at nine with just over 15 minutes to go in the first half.
An 8-0 the scoring run by NWF finished with three straight makes by Sumlin, which would give the Raiders a 21-13 lead with 11:26 remaining. The Raiders would maintain this lead for a good chunk of the half but started expanding it when Tajuan Simpkins knocked down a second-chance three to push the lead to double-digits. From there, it was up to the Raiders' defense to hold this streaky three-point shooting Eagles team in check, which they did for the remaining duration of the first half as they carried a 41-28 lead into the locker room.
SECOND HALF
The Eagles began the second half the same way they started the first, by making a three, which turned into a transition dunk the following possession. This sequence trimmed the Raiders' lead back to single digits. However, Jadyn Snider and Tavion Banks had other plans, converting back-to-back layups to extend their advantage to 12.
By the 11-minute mark, the Raiders had already pushed their lead to 17 after some finely executed offensive and defensive play. However, shots started falling for the Eagles around the ten-minute mark as the team converted on seven straight possessions over the next three and a half minutes. The Eagles threatened the Raider's double-digit lead multiple times. Still, players like Sumlin and Shider continued to convert baskets at the rim, maintaining the Raider's comfortable lead.
An 8-0 run by the Eagles with under four minutes left in the game cut the Raiders' lead back to single digits for the first time since the opening half. Some made free throw attempts by NWF to push their lead back to double-digits until Tallahassee drained another three with 40 seconds to go, cutting their deficit to eight. The Eagles had no other choice but to foul the Raiders going forward, but with NWF in the bonus, this meant free throws from here on out. Sumlin and Simpkins would combine to go six-for-six from the line to finish the game, securing the Raiders 12th road win - second in Tallahassee - and improve to 24-4 on the season.
UP NEXT
During the bye week, the Raiders will have a break from the action until next Wednesday when they wrap up their home schedule against Pensacola. Following this, they will have one final game at Gulf Coast to conclude the season.