Destiney McPhaul (22) Helps Lead Raiders to 59-52 Win Over Salt Lake in Season Opener

PANAMA CITY, Florida – The 2022-23 defending national champs were back in action tonight, looking to secure a victory in their season opener Friday night as they headed to Panama City for the first of two games against Salt Lake, which saw the Raiders come away with a seven point victory after second year guard Destiney McPhaul exploded for 22 points, while adding four rebounds and four steals to her stat sheet.

The Raiders were able to erase a six-point deficit at the break and come away with the victory after shooting a much more improved 50.0% from the floor in the second half compared to the 36.4% the team shot in the first.

McPhaul's 22 points certainly was a major factor in the Raiders comeback efforts, however, Kyla McBride also helped lead the charge after posting 10 points and coming away with a pair of steals in the Raiders win.

Mekhia Chase played a role by posting six points, securing five rebounds and dishing out three assists over the Bruins.

As a team, the Raiders shot an even 44.0% from the field, 23.1% from three and 66.7% from the charity stripe. The Raiders were plus three in the rebound column, securing a total of 32 rebounds. The Bruins dished out three more assists (14) than the Raiders (11) and turned the ball over 14 times compared to the Raiders 15.

Both teams struggled to get anything going from behind the arc, combing to make just nine three pointers on 34 total attempts.

After being dead even at 39 by the end of the third quarter, the Raiders were able to put away the Bruins in the fourth after posting 20 points in the final frame and holding the Bruins to just ten.

Northwest Florida women's basketball will be back in action from Panama City tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 PM when they square off against Central Georgia Tech for the second of two games this weekend before they hit the road again on Tuesday to take on East Mississippi College on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 5:30.