Raiders Heading to Marianna to Face Indians

Game 20

#3 Northwest Florida State (18-1) at #25 Chipola (18-4)

January 31, 2024 | 5:30 PM (CST) | Marianna, Fla.

Links: Live Stream

TIP-OFF  

Northwest Florida State is eager to bounce back from their first loss of the season last weekend when they face off against No. 25 Chipola on Wednesday in Mariana. Despite the setback, the Raiders maintain an impressive 18-1 overall record, with their sole defeat coming against current No. 1 ranked Gulf Coast. Now, they're focused on regaining momentum with a road win against Chipola, a team they previously defeated convincingly at home by a commanding 28-point margin (76-48).

Chipola heads into Wednesday's showdown with a 18-4 overall record, and 2-2 record in conference play, securing victories against Pensacola and Tallahassee while suffering losses to NWF and Gulf Coast. Following a dominant 40-point win over Tallahassee at home last weekend, the Indians are determined to climb above .500 in conference play by claiming a victory over the Raiders.

LAST TIME OUT

The Raiders winning streak came to a halt last Saturday as they fell to No. 2 Gulf Coast, who 74-42 in Panama City. This defeat marked the most significant margin of loss under the tenure of Coach Bart Walker and only the tenth loss for the Raiders in the past four years.

The Raiders faced significant challenges in their shooting performance, recording their lowest field goal percentage of the season at 21.3%, with a mere 20.0% success rate from beyond the arc. Notably, this game marked the first time in over a decade that not a single Raider player reached double-digit scoring.

Nevaeh Scott led the team with nine points and contributed five rebounds. In contrast, the Raiders' starting lineup only accumulated 17 points collectively, compared to the 66 points scored by the Commodores' starting five. NWF struggled to contain Gulf Coast's offensive prowess, with the Commodores exhibiting remarkable accuracy, shooting 51.7% as a team, including an impressive 64.3% in the second half alone.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The Raiders currently rank top 30 in the nation in nine different statistical categories and top ten in five categories, including field goals made per game (10th) at 30.6, field goal percentage (5th) at 49.7, assists per game (2nd) at 22.4, points allowed per game (2nd) at 44.8, and opponents' field goal percentage (5th) at 31.7.

RAIDERS' STATISTICAL LEADERS

PTS/G: Celia Riviere (12.9)

FG%: Celia Riviere (61.8%)

3FG%: Destiney McPhaul (41.0%)

REB/G: Celia Riviere (7.3)

AST/G: Nevaeh Scott (4.2)

STL/G: Destiney McPhaul (2.3)

BLK/G: Deborah Davenport (1.1)

PANHANDLE CONFERENCE STANDINGS

For complete coverage of Northwest Florida State Athletics, visit nwfraiders.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Northwest Florida Raiders), Instagram (@nwfraiders) and X (@NWFRaiders)

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