Raiders Shake Off Rust, Defeat Chipola 66-52

NICEVILLE, Fla. - It's tough to beat a team twice in one year. It gets even tougher to beat a team 3 times in one year. When it comes to beating a team 4 times in a season, it is almost unheard of. That is exactly what the Raiders did this afternoon as #2 Northwest Florida came away with a 66-52 victory over #7 Chipola.

The 10 day break brought upon a little rust for the Raiders, as Chipola came out with a 16-12 lead after the 1st quarter. Coming out of the halftime, NWF was up 28-25 and shook off the rust in the 3rd quarter as the Raiders pulled away to go up 11 heading into the final 10 minutes. Northwest Florida was able to get up as much as 16 points late in the 4th quarter before finishing the game up 14. 

The Raiders were able to overcome 26 turnovers in part to dominating inside as Northwest Florida crashed the glass every possession, resulting in a 44-26 rebounding differential. Along with the rebounding dominance, the Raiders were able to drive inside with ease as NWF outscored the Chipola 42-14 inside the paint. 

Despite early foul trouble, Sakima Walker was able to pick up 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. 3 Raiders also got into double digits as Celia Riviere, Zayla Tinner, and Jaela Davis all scored 11 points. Sam Sherer led the Raiders with 4 assists. Northwest Florida finished the game 25-45 (55.6%) from the field and held Chipola to 15-59 (25.4%).

#2 Northwest Florida will be back in action Friday, March 10 vs. #6 Florida SouthWestern at 1:00 PM. Florida SouthWestern upset the Gulf Coast Commodores 71-65 behind Natalia Tondi's 25 points. Friday's matchup will be a defensive battle as the Bucs held Gulf Coast to 33.8% shooting and forced 21 turnovers. Florida SouthWestern is 19-8 on the year while Northwest Florida is 24-3.

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