NWF Women Defeat Pensacola, Improve to 16-1

NICEVILLE, Fla. – Meeting for the fourth time this season, Northwest Florida State claimed a 54-39 win over Pensacola in a defensive Panhandle Conference slugfest Wednesday in Raider Arena.

The second-ranked Raiders (16-1, 12-1 PC) took a 16-9 lead into the second quarter where both offenses ground to a halt. NWF and Pensacola combined to scored 10 points in the frame on 4-of-20 shooting.

Paced by a 4-for-5 effort by Inès Piper in the second half, Northwest Florida was able to pull away shooting 48.2 percent as a unit over the final 20 minutes.

Chanaya Pinto and Masengo Mutanda finished with 14 points each. Pinto also added nine rebounds and four steals.

Pensacola's 39 points were the fourth fewest allowed this season by NWF and marked the 11^th time that the Raiders have surrendered fewer than 50 points.

Wins in the next two games will guarantee Northwest Florida at least a share of the Panhandle Conference regular season title.

For more information on Northwest Florida State Athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow the team on Twitter at @NWFRaiders.