Cold shooting dooms #1 Raiders on the road in tough 52-50 loss to #16 Chipola

MARIANNA, FL - Before they loaded the bus to head to Marianna, FL on Saturday afternoon, the top-ranked team in the land knew they would be in for an incredible challenge against #16 Chipola.  The Raiders cruised past the Indians in their first matchup two weeks ago.  However, history in the Panhandle has proven in the past that Round 2 is always different, especially on the road, and particularly against a high-quality opponent.  That hypothesis rang truer than ever as NWF struggled to find their footing in the narrow 52-50 loss at Chipola, their first of the season.

For the second consecutive game, many of the Raider starters encountered first-half foul trouble, forcing them to be spectators for the majority of the period.  Leading scorer Last-Tear Poa, in fact, only played 3 minutes before picking up her second foul.  This led to a lack of offensive rhythm that lingered all game.  NWF only shot 32% for the game, missing a plethora of layups and making just 1 of 12 3-point attempts. 

While the offense struggled, the trademark defense of Bart Walker's program definitely showed up.  Northwest Florida forced Chipola into committing 31 turnovers and they never gave up more than 15 points in a quarter.  It was necessary with the offense sputtering and undoubtedly kept them in the game.

The Raiders, after trailing the majority of night, found a spark early in the 4^th quarter and took their first lead with 6:52 remaining in the game.  The lead, however, was brief as Chipola tied it up soon after and put the clamps down on NWF as the Raiders failed to score a field goal in the game's final 6 minutes. 

NWF was led in scoring by Noelani Cornfield with 11 points.  Ines Piper added 10 points and 8 rebounds. 

The Raiders will have to rebound quickly and refocus, as they are next in action on Monday, January 24 when they host Pensacola at 5:30 p.m.  Both teams sit atop the conference standings at 4-1. 

For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.