GAMEDAY PREVIEW: POSTSEASON IMPLICATIONS ON THE LINE AT THE MILT TONIGHT

MARIANNA, Fla. – The Chipola women's & men's basketball teams will be looking to win the season series with Pensacola State College when the two schools square off tonight in Panhandle Conference action at the Milton H. Johnson Center. The #21 Lady Indians (21-6; 5-4 PC) tip the evening off at 5:30 with the fourteenth-ranked Lady Pirates (20-6; 4-5 PC). The #11 Indians (23-4; 7-2 PC) will take on Pensacola (15-11; 4-5 PC) following the women's game at approximately 7:30 PM.

WBB: Don't call it an upset

Coach John Marcum's Lady Indians have taken down teams that are ranked #4, #5, #6, and #14 in this week's NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Poll. That includes two teams that have spent time as the number one team in the country this season.

Last Saturday, Chipola took down #4 Northwest Florida, 62-56, inside Raider Arena, a place Chipola had not defeated the home team since the 2021 season. Tahnyjia Purifoy led all scorers in the game with 24 points and for her efforts, was named the FCSAA/Region VIII Player of the Week.

With 4 wins and 5 losses against ranked opponents, Chipola will look to even that record tonight over the #14 Lady Pirates.

WBB: Postseason outlook

Three teams from the Panhandle Conference will move on to the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament in Niceville on March 13-16. In the current standings, the Lady Indians sit in sole possession of third place, one game ahead of the Lady Pirates.

If, at the end of the regular season, Chipola and Pensacola are tied for third place, the two teams will meet at a neutral site to determine who advances to the state tournament.

If the Lady Indians defeat Pensacola this evening, they would only need to win one of their two remaining games to advance to the State Tournament. A Pensacola loss in one of their two remaining games would also allow the Lady Indians to advance.
With a win tonight, Chipola would also still have a shot at the Panhandle Conference title. If the Lady Indians win their remaining games AND Gulf Coast finishes 1-2 with losses to Chipola and Northwest Florida AND Northwest Florida finishes 2-1 with a loss to Pensacola, the three teams will all claim a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship.

WBB Game Notes:

• The Lady Indians and Lady Pirates have split their two previous meetings this season with each team winning at home. Chipola defeated Pensacola in Marianna on January 17, 77-62. The Lady Pirates got redemption inside Hartzell Arena on February 3, 81-64.
• Chipola has won the series between the two teams the last five seasons. In the 2017-2018, the Lady Pirates took two of three from Chipola. Prior to that Chipola had won 15 consecutive games against the Lady Pirates.
• Tahnyjia Purifoy has averaged 21.7 points in games against ranked opponents. This is two points above her season average of 19.7, which is tenth in the NJCAA. She leads the country in minutes played, third in points scored and assists, and fifth in steals. She leads the Panhandle Conference in points per game.
• Chipola moved up four spots to 21^st in the latest NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Poll and 4^th in the FCSAA Coaches' Poll. The Lady Indians are currently 9^th in the latest Massey Ratings. Pensacola is 14^th in the NJCAA Poll, 4^th in the FCSAA Poll, and 11^th in the Massey Ratings.

MBB: Home away from home

Since head coach Donnie Tyndall came to Chipola in 2020, the Indians have reeled off an impressive 58-3 record at the Milton H. Johnson Center.  Also, in those four seasons, Chipola is 12-3 inside Raider Arena, which includes the Indians win last Saturday against #6 Northwest Florida.

The Indians held the Raiders to just 12-of-53 from the floor (22.6%) on their way to a 45-41 victory that moved Chipola into sole possession of first place in the conference standings. With the win, Chipola also improved to 11-4

MBB: Postseason Outlook

With a win this evening, Chipola would clinch their spot in the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament. The Indians would claim a share of the conference title with any combination of Chipola wins and\or Northwest Florida losses. Any combination of three Chipola wins or Northwest Florida losses would give the Indians the conference championship outright.

MBB Game Notes:

• The Indians and Pirates have split their first two games this season. Chipola defeated Pensacola at home 66-57 on January 17 to give Coach Donnie Tyndall his 100^th win at Chipola. The Pirates took down Chipola, 56-54, in Pensacola on February 3.
• The last time the Pirates won the series between the two schools was in the 2019-2020 season when Pensacola won two of three from the Indians.
• Pensacola's 56-54 win earlier this season was the first time under Coach Tyndall that Chipola lost to the Pirates. Prior to that loss, Chipola had defeated the Pirates eleven consecutive times.
• Pensacola has not defeated Chipola at The Milt since February 3, 2018 when the Pirates used a big second-half to come from behind and defeat the Indians, 71-61.
• Following the win over #6 Northwest Florida, Chipola moved to 11^th in the NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Poll and 3^rd in the FCSAA Coaches' Poll. The Indians are currently 9^th in the latest Massey Ratings.

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