Raiders Shake Off Slow Start to Down Otero in NJCAA Tourney

LUBBOCK, Texas – Northwest Florida's suffocating defense was on full display as the fifth-seeded Raiders shut down 21-seed Otero, 67-43, in the second round of the NJCAA Women's Basketball Championship in the Rip Griffin Center on Wednesday.

Otero, a team that average 23 field goals and seven 3-pointers a game, were held to just 29.1 percent shooting (16-55) from the field and 5-for-22 from three-point range.

After a slow start for both teams, Northwest Florida (21-2) took control with a dominant second quarter. The Raiders outscored the Rattlers 23-7 in the frame and held Otero scoreless for more than seven minutes.

Masengo Mutanda sandwiched a pair of threes around a Last-Tear Poa triple midway through the quarter to tie the game at 24. From there, NWF outscored Otero 41-19 for the rest of the game.

Mutanda finished with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Shelbee Brown was stellar throughout the contest adding 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Poa had 12 points and three assists.

The Raiders controlled the paint as they outrebounded Otero 45-32 and scored 36 on their 67 points in the paint. Inès Piper played a big role inside with eight points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.

After missing the final two quarter of the FCSAA/Region VIII semifinal game against Gulf Coast, Chanaya Pinto returned to score eight points and added four boards in 18 minutes of action.

Northwest Florida advances to face 5-seed South Plains on Thursday at 5 p.m.

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