Commodores snap Raiders 13 Game Winning Streak

Panama City, Fla. - Northwest Florida came up short vs. Gulf Coast 95-91 on Wednesday night, suffering their first loss since December 2nd. The Raiders fall to 19-3, 7-1 in Panhandle Conference play.

Northwest Florida was down 86-72 with under 4 minutes remaining, bringing the game all the way back to 90-87 with 1:30 left. The Raiders had a chance to tie it up with 9 seconds when Destiney McPhaul drove into the lane and came up empty. The Commodores hit two late free throws, putting the game away with 2.5 seconds left.

The Raiders defense, giving up only 52.6 points a night, struggled all night vs. the #7 Lady Commodores. Gulf Coast was able to get off 71 shots on the night, compared to NWF's 59. Although the Raiders had a higher FG%, the Commodores knocked down 8 3's and hit two more free throws at the charity stripe.

Zayla Tinner was the catalyst in the comeback as she scored 15 second-half points, en route to 25 points on 10-14 shooting on the night. Sakima Walker chipped in 22 and Destiney McPhaul accounted for 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Jaela Davis was perfect from the line tonight, going 8-8. Davis fouled out of the game with under 2 minutes remaining.

Northwest Florida (19-3, 7-1) will hit the road again on Saturday, February 11th to take on the Chipola Indians as they start their 3rd series in Panhandle play. The Raiders have been victorious in the first two matchups, winning 66-52 at The Milt on January 7th and then 77-72 in Raider Arena on January 28th. The Lady Indians (10-11, 4-4) lost to Gulf Coast 77-70 on February 1st. 

For more information on Northwest Florida Athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter and Instagram.