Raiders Survive Late Push From Gulf Coast to Secure 61-60 Victory

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State Holds Off Gulf Coast in 61-60 Thriller

Northwest Florida State men's basketball kept its postseason hopes alive Wednesday night, surviving a last-second attempt by Gulf Coast to secure a hard-fought 61-60 victory. The win moves the Raiders to 5-5 in Panhandle Conference play.

Despite going scoreless from the field for the final 6:27, the Raiders managed to hold off a furious late rally from the Commodores, who erased a 10-point deficit down the stretch. Curtis Williams (16 points), Dwayne Pierce (12), and Davion Hill (11) led the way offensively, combining for 39 of the team's points.

The Raiders came out firing, opening the game on a 9-0 run and extending their lead to 22-9 after a Pierce three with 8:36 remaining in the first half. However, Gulf Coast answered with an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to four before halftime. Northwest Florida ultimately took a 32-31 edge into the break, shooting 40.7% from the field.

The second half saw both teams trade three-pointers early. Williams knocked down his first triple of the game, later adding another to push the Raiders' lead to six. Gulf Coast responded with a three of its own, but Williams stayed hot, draining another shot from beyond the arc to give Northwest Florida a 52-43 advantage with 12 minutes left.

Williams continued to shine, converting an and-one layup to stretch the lead to 10, followed by a putback layup from Hill with 6:27 remaining. However, that would be the Raiders' final field goal of the night. From there, the offense struggled, missing six straight shots—including four three-point attempts—while committing five turnovers, allowing Gulf Coast to climb back into the game.

With 30 seconds left and the Raiders clinging to a 61-60 lead, Northwest Florida forced a crucial turnover on the baseline, forcing the Commodores to foul. After a missed free throw, Gulf Coast grabbed the rebound and pushed up the court. Harris got an open look for a potential game-winning three, but the shot rimmed out. A Commodore secured the offensive rebound and put up one last attempt under the basket, but the shot missed wide, sealing the victory for the Raiders.

POST GAME NOTES

• With the victory, the Raiders keep their postseason hopes alive. To secure a spot, they must either win their next two games and hope for a Pensacola win over Gulf Coast on Saturday or a Chipola win over Tallahassee on Monday, avoiding a four-way tie which would not favor the Raiders. Alternatively, they can advance by defeating Gulf Coast once and relying on Chipola to win Monday and Pensacola to beat Gulf Coast on Saturday.
• Northwest Florida shot 44.2% from the field, including 29.2% (7-24) from three-point range.
• The Raiders were narrowly outrebounded, 36-32.
• They dominated inside, outscoring the Commodores 28-16 in the paint.
• The Raiders' largest lead of the night (13 points) came with 10:24 remaining in the first half.

UP NEXT

The Raiders hit the road this Saturday (March 1), traveling down I-10 to face Chipola at 7:30 p.m. in the final matchup of the regular-season series, which is the Indians currently lead 2-0.

They will then return home on Monday (March 3) for their regular-season finale and sophomore night against Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m. This game serves as a makeup for their previously postponed January matchup due to snow.