Davion Hill Explodes for 38 Points Leading Raiders to 82-79 Victory Over Tallahassee State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State men's basketball earned a hard-fought two-point victory over Tallahassee State on Saturday, fueled by an explosive 38-point, 12-rebound performance from Davion Hill. The win marks the Raiders' second victory over Tallahassee this season and brings their conference record back to .500.

Braylon Roman opened the game with a three-pointer, but the Eagles quickly took control, hitting five of their first six shots, including three from beyond the arc. Despite the Eagles' strong start, the Raiders trailed by just a possession heading into the first media timeout.

JJ Faulkner tied the game at 11 with a layup, and Hill gave the Raiders their first lead with another layup. However, a 10-0 run by the Eagles, sparked by back-to-back threes, pushed their lead to eight with just over ten minutes remaining in the half. The Raiders responded with an 11-0 run of their own, highlighted by a three from Nathan Ojukwu, to take a 26-23 lead with just under seven minutes to go.

Both teams traded baskets through the remainder of the half, but the Eagles hit a three-pointer before the break, edging out the Raiders 37-36 heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Curtis Williams gave the Raiders the lead with two quick layups. The game remained tight, with each team exchanging leads until the Eagles hit another three, followed by a layup to take a three-point lead with just under ten minutes left.

Tallahassee continued to build their lead, eventually stretching it to eight points. With the Raiders battling foul trouble—Josh Hayes and Nathan Ojukwu each had four fouls—things were looking bleak. But Davion Hill took over. He hit two threes, followed by a layup and a mid-range jumper to reclaim the lead for the Raiders. Hill kept his hot streak going, knocking down two more threes to put the Raiders up by seven, forcing the Eagles to call a timeout.

Hill's heroics proved to be the difference. While the Eagles made some crucial threes in the final seconds to close the gap to three, the Raiders' defense held firm, securing the victory. Hill scored 20 of the Raiders' final 26 points in the last ten minutes, single-handedly leading his team to victory.

The win improves the Raiders to 16-5 overall and 2-2 in Panhandle Conference play, snapping their two-game losing streak.

Postgame Notes

• Davion Hill had a career performance, posting 38 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.
• Curtis Williams and Braylon Roman also contributed significantly. Williams finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Roman added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Five Eagles scored in double figures: Julius Clark (19), Julius King Jr. (15), Kobe George (14), Justin Britt (12), and Tahj Johnson (10).
• The Raiders shot 43.8% from the field, edging out the Eagles at 41.7%.
• The three-pointers were falling in the Eagle Dome, as both teams combined for 18 threes—Tallahassee made 11, while Northwest Florida hit 7.
• The Raiders dominated the boards, finishing with an eight-rebound advantage, including a plus-three margin on the offensive glass.
• Both teams had similar free throw numbers, with the Raiders converting 19 of 25 attempts for a 76.0% shooting percentage, while the Eagles made 18 of 24 for a 75.0% clip.

Up Next

The Raiders will finally return home on Wednesday after nearly a month of playing on the road. The team is schedule to play Pensacola State once again – a team they lost to on the road back on January 18 after nearly pulling off a second half comeback. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Raider Arena.