McPhaul, Riviere Dominant in Raiders Win Over Eastern Florida on Saturday

NICEVILLE, Florida – Northwest Florida women's basketball's early season dominance continued on Saturday night as the Raiders secured their ninth straight victory dating back to last season after defeating Eastern Florida, 70-45, making them 15 of their previous 16 and 5-0 on the season.

Destiney McPhaul had left her mark on this game, scoring a game-high 24 points, dishing six assists, and securing five rebounds. Celia Riviere also made an impression after securing her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Titans.

Deborah Davenport and Mekhia Chase also had a positive impact on the Raiders' win tonight; Davenport scored 16 points, adding six rebounds and a pair of blocks; Chase scored 12 points, adding five rebounds and four steals to the box score.

The Raiders played a solid game defensively, forcing 25 turnovers and holding the Titans to under 30.0% shooting for the game (29.6%). Northwest Florida scored 27 points off turnovers, 22 points off fast breaks, and 36 points inside the paint. The only area the Raiders struggled tonight was from three, where they shot a measly 20.0%, going 4-20 from behind the arc.

FIRST QUARTER

• Eastern Florida got things started quickly with a pair of makes inside the first few minutes, giving the Titans an early 5-0 advantage.
• Mya Pierfax made the Raiders' first basket of the game with a layup inside, and Destiney McPhaul later tied the game at five with a made three from the left wing.
• The Titans would go on a 5-0 run over the next few minutes, holding the Raiders scoreless until the 4:28 mark of the first.
• McPhaul drained her second triple of the game, sparking an 11-0 run by the Raiders to end the quarter, sending NWF into the second period with a six-point advantage.

SECOND QUARTER

• The Raiders' run continued into the second frame after knocking down three straight shots out the jump, making it an 18-0 run by the Raiders.
• A Titan's three-pointer finally ended their scoring doubt, but it was quickly answered by another Destiney McPhaul three.
• The Raiders would hold on to their double-digit lead for much of the second quarter and carried a 13-point cushion heading into the locker room.

THIRD QUARTER

• The second half got off to a slow start as neither team was able to make a basket inside the first two minutes of play, until Kyla McBride hit a nice reverse layup extending the Raider lead to 15. 
• A Deborah Davenport three and Mekhia Chase layup extended the Raiders lead to 20 with around five-minutes to go in the quarter. 
• The Raiders would head into the fourth with a sizable 61-35 lead over the Titans.

FOURTH QUARTER

• It took NWF almost four minutes to score their first bucket from the floor to start the final frame. This would mark just one of two makes by the Raiders the entire quarter as they shot 2-8 the entire period. 
• On the other end, Eastern Florida could only connect on four shots themselves in the period, allowing the Raiders to walk away with a 25-point victory and their fifth win on the season.

UP NEXT

Northwest Florida is set to play East Mississippi once again next Friday, November 17, at 5:30 PM from Raider Arena. The last time the Raiders and Lions squared off, NWF took home a 95-38 victory over East Mis.

Northwest Florida women's basketball's early season dominance continued on Saturday night as the Raiders secured their ninth straight victory dating back to last season after defeating Eastern Florida, 70-45, making them 15 of their previous 16 and 5-0 on the season.