Raiders Head to Pensacola for Thanksgiving Classic

NICEVILLE, Fla. — No. 5 Northwest Florida State women's basketball hits the road again this weekend, heading to Pensacola for the Pensacola State Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by the Pirates.

The Raiders enter the event on a hot streak after a successful weekend in Panama City, where they defeated Mineral Area and Central Georgia Tech to improve to 7–1. This weekend, they'll look to add to that total with matchups against Region VIII opponents Eastern Florida and St. Petersburg.

The Matchups

Friday:
Northwest Florida opens the classic against Eastern Florida (3–1) on Friday, Nov. 28, at 3:30 p.m. The Titans are led by first-year head coach Zack Banks, a former longtime Raider assistant. Eastern Florida has won two straight—over Tallahassee State and South Georgia Tech—after dropping its season opener to Chattahoochee Valley.

Saturday:
The Raiders return to action on Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon, facing St. Petersburg (1–5). The Titans recently snapped a five-game skid with a 79–52 win over Denmark Tech. They enter the weekend with losses to Tallahassee and Pensacola and will take the floor against Pensacola again on Friday before meeting Northwest Florida.

Where to Watch

All games will be streamed live on the Pirate Sports Network. Fans can watch by clicking HERE.

Raider Ranks

Northwest Florida has been dominant on both ends of the floor, ranking among the nation's best statistically. The Raiders average 80.3 points per game—23rd in the country—while holding opponents to just 49.0 points per game, the eighth-lowest mark nationally.

Additional national rankings include:

• 12th in Field Goals Made per Game (31.0)
• 1st in Field Goal Percentage (56.1%)
• 7th in Three-Point Percentage (37.4%)
• 14th in Rebound Margin (+14.0)
• 6th in Assists per Game (19.8)

New Kids on the Block

With only four returners from last season, a talented group of newcomers has quickly made its presence felt:

• Khoudia Diagne leads the team in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounds (9.5 rpg) while shooting 71.1%. She also ranks second in steals (2.3) and third in assists (3.9).
• Niyla Wilkins and Jadah White have provided steady offensive production, averaging 13.6 and 13.0 points per game.
• Carrington Jones continues to impact both ends with 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
• Aurora Toyomasu has been lethal from deep, averaging 8.4 points on 52.2% shooting, including an elite 48.5% from three.
• Nafi Harz adds another efficient scoring punch, averaging 7.6 points per game on 56.1% shooting and 42.3% from beyond the arc.

Holding It Down

With just four returning players—and two of them sidelined recently—Ka'Zahria Johnson has stepped into a major leadership role. She's averaging 8.5 points per game while leading the team in field-goal percentage (71.1%) and ranking second in rebounding (7.1 rpg).