Raiders Fall to Indians 62-56 on Saturday

NICEVILLE, Fla. – No. 4 Northwest Florida State women's basketball fell to No. 24 Chipola in a close game at home on Saturday, losing 62-56.

The Raiders struggled to control possession throughout the game. By halftime, the team had 12 turnovers and wound up finishing the game with 23 total – the second most turnovers the team has surrendered this season. The Raiders also struggled shooting the ball, connecting on just 36.7% of their shots, including 26.3% from three. The only other times the Raiders shot this poorly was in their other two losses to Gulf Coast, shooting 21.3% and 35.3% between both matchups.

Deborah Davenport and Destiney McPhaul were the Raiders' two leading scorers today, scoring 12 points each. In addition to her double-digit scoring line, Davenport also recorded a career-high 14 rebounds while securing her second-career double-double.

Despite this disappointing performance, NWF is still in a good position to secure a spot in next month's FCSAA State/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament in Niceville. The Raiders now sit in second place, a game and a half behind Gulf Coast, and one game ahead of Chipola in the Panhandle Conference Standings.

SUMMARY

Chipola quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes of play. The Raiders responded with back-to-back makes, using a three from Mekhia Chase and a layup from Jade Ondineme to cut the deficit back to two. Later in the quarter, McPhaul tied the game with a put-back layup under the basket, evening the score at seven apiece. With three minutes to play in the first, Mya Pierfax knocked down a triple from the wing to give NWF a 10-9 lead over Chipola. However, the Indians would close out the first period, scoring five unanswered points, giving them the 14-10 advantage after the first ten minutes of play.

The Indians hung on to their four-point lead much of the second quarter until Davenport and McPhaul regained the Raider lead with back-to-back layups and a three, bringing the score to 24-23. The next few minutes were very back-and-forth as both teams exchanged leads for the next three minutes. A pair of free throws by Jaela Davis and a layup from Davenport gave NWF some cushion heading into the final moments of the first half. After 20 minutes of play, the Raiders led the Indians 33-30.

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm coming out of the break as the game only saw one make over the initial three and a half minutes of play in the third quarter. Both teams finally got some points on the board after trading baskets with just over six minutes to play in the third. Following a Chipola timeout, the Indians drilled back-to-back makes to retake the lead with just under five minutes in the period. With under two and a half minutes in the third, the Raiders would take a 43-41 lead following back-to-back triples from Chase and Neveah Scott. However, the Indians responded with back-to-back makes of their own, retaking a three-point lead in the final seconds of the third. After 30 minutes of play, the Indians led the Raiders 48-43.

The Raiders' second-half struggles continued as the team could only convert on four of their 13-shot attempts for the period. Most of their scoring came from the free-throw line, as the team made five shots from the charity stripe. Turnovers continued to plague the team as well. The Indians converted nearly 50.0% of their shots in the fourth quarter and saw 12 of their points come on fast break opportunities, adding more salt to the Raiders' wound. Despite all this, NWF kept the game at bay, even cutting their deficit to as little as two with one minute remaining. However, the Indians would silence the Raiders' come-back hopes, knocking down a triple following the Raiders' 23 and final turnover, sealing a 62-56 victory over NWF.

UP NEXT 

The Raiders will hit the road next week for another game at Tallahassee on Wednesday, February 21, beginning at 4:30 PM, before returning home for their final game at Raider Arena on February 28 against Pensacola.

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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