Northwest Florida Clinches Eighth Straight Conference Title with 79–70 Win at Gulf Coast

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — What began as an expectation has become a tradition. Northwest Florida State women's basketball clinched a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship on Wednesday night with a 79–70 road victory over Gulf Coast, securing the program's eighth consecutive title under head coach Bart Walker.

The Raiders came out firing in the first half, shooting 60 percent from the field while knocking down seven three-pointers to build leads at the end of both the first and second quarters. Khoudia Diagne and Kamryn Corporan set the tone early, combining for 27 first-half points as Northwest Florida carried a 16-point advantage into halftime.

Northwest Florida kept the pressure on in the third quarter, again shooting near 60 percent while tightening up defensively. The Raiders forced turnovers that turned into easy transition buckets, allowing them to maintain control. Gulf Coast made a push in the fourth as the Raiders cooled off offensively, but the early cushion proved too much to overcome as Northwest Florida secured the nine-point road win.

Diagne led the Raiders with 15 points, all coming in the first half, while also adding four rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block. Corporan followed with 14 points, including 12 in the opening half.

The second half belonged to Ka'Zahria Johnson and Carrington Jones. After combining for just three points before halftime, the duo erupted for 22 in the second half, with Johnson scoring 12 and Jones adding 10.

As a team, the Raiders shot 54.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. All seven of Northwest Florida's three-pointers came in the first half, as the Raiders went 0-for-6 from deep after the break. The Raiders attempted just four free throws in the game, all by Jones, who went 2-for-4 at the line.

Defensively, Northwest Florida held the state's leading scorer, Ariana Francisco De Olivera, to eight points on two field goals. Anjela Minja and Yasmine Allen paced Gulf Coast with 14 points apiece.

The victory marked Northwest Florida's seventh straight conference win. Since rejoining the program in 2017, Walker has captured the conference championship in every season but his first. The Raiders will have an opportunity to claim the title outright and secure the No. 1 seed in the FCSAA State Tournament on Saturday when they host No. 8 Chipola.