First Half Struggles Too Much for Raiders to Overcome, Fall to #3 Trinity Valley 78-64

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Northwest Florida State Raiders men's basketball team suffered their third loss of the season Tuesday night, falling to No. 3-ranked Trinity Valley, 78-64, in Pensacola. The defeat drops the Raiders to 5-3 as they prepare for another tough matchup against No. 2 Panola on Wednesday.

The Cardinals established control early, jumping out to a 15-5 lead in the first 10 minutes. Trinity Valley's offense found consistent success in the paint, shooting an efficient 54% from the field and 80% from beyond the arc (4-of-5) in the opening half. Meanwhile, the Raiders struggled offensively, shooting just 29% from the floor, leading to a daunting 45-19 halftime deficit.

Northwest Florida turned things around in the second half, showing resilience and cohesion. The team shot an impressive 57%, including 50% from three (5-of-10), while outscoring the Cardinals 45-33. They also dominated the boards, outrebounding Trinity Valley 17-9 after halftime.

Despite their strong second-half performance, the early deficit proved insurmountable as the Raiders fell short in their comeback effort.

KEY PERFORMERS

• Curtis Williams paced the Raiders with 13 points, with 10 of those coming in an impressive second-half effort.
• Tyrese Melo-Garcia and Dwayne Pierce followed closely, each contributing 10 points. Melo-Garcia also chipped in with five rebounds.
• Kauan Raymundo came just short of a double-double, tallying nine points and nine rebounds.
• Trinity Valley's Cameron Williams led all scorers with 21 points, shooting a remarkable 9-of-12 from the field, including one three-pointer.
• Garret Nuckolls and Cameron Johnson also shone for the Cardinals, adding 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, respectively.

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to action tomorrow evening in Pensacola for another challenging matchup against second-ranked Panola. The Fillies are undefeated at 7-0 this season, coming off consecutive wins over Pensacola State and Tallahassee State. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. at Hartsell Arena. Fans can catch the game live at pirtatenetwork.live.