GAMEDAY PREVIEW: #4 INDIANS SEEK HOMECOMING WIN AGAINST THE EAGLES

MARIANNA, Fla. – Despite falling on Tuesday night to Georgia Highlands in a non-conference game, the #4 Indians (19-2; 3-0) still lead the Panhandle and look to close out the first round of games undefeated in conference play when they host Tallahassee Community College on Saturday night at The Milt. Tip-off for the 2024 Homecoming game is scheduled for 7:30 PM and will follow the women's game.

The #4 Indians stumbled in a non-conference game that is rarely scheduled at this point in the season. Due to Georgia Highlands' gym not being ready, the game was rescheduled from December.

Dontae Walker came off the bench to score 18 in the 68-67 loss and freshman Markel Freeman scored a career-high 10 points. After a solid performance at the charity stripe for much of the season, Chipola struggled at "The Corral" in Rome, Georgia, shooting just 55.6% (15-of-27) from the line. The Indians were also just 4-of-19 from three-point range.

The Chipola men will look to get back on track when they welcome the Eagles to the Milton H. Johnson Center. Tallahassee is 15-6 overall and 1-2 in the Panhandle after losing in overtime, 88-86, at home to Gulf Coast on Wednesday night.

Seth Jones, a sophomore transfer from Coastal Alabama North, scored a season-high 28 points against the Commodores and he leads the Eagles in scoring with 16.0 points per game.

After falling behind by 19 in the second half, TCC clawed back to force overtime against the Commodores. Gulf Coast hit a shot with a little more than a second on the clock to move into a tie with Northwest Florida for second place at 2-1. The Commodores and Raiders meet in Panama City on Saturday.

Games Notes

• The Eagles have caused the Indians the most trouble in the Donnie Tyndall era. Chipola is 5-5 with TCC over the last three years. The two teams have shared the Panhandle Conference Championship two of the last three seasons.
• Chipola is riding a 28-game home winning streak that dates back to the 2021-2022 season. The last team to beat the Indians inside The Milt was TCC. The Eagles defeated Chipola, 56-45, on February 5, 2022 which was the Indians' Homecoming game that season.
• After leading the Eagles to a final four finish at last year's NJCAA Tournament, Rick Cabrera left TCC to take over NCAA Division I, Northwestern State in Louisiana. The Eagles' are now headed up by Corey Hendren who was most recently the Associate Head Coach at UNC Pembroke, where he spent the past two seasons working under head coach Drew Richards. During his time at UNC Pembroke, the Braves went 53-8, won two Conference Carolinas regular season championships, and appeared twice in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Hendren's first head coaching opportunity came at USC Salkehatchie, where he spent three seasons
• The Eagles have already played at The Milt this season. On November 24-25, 2023, TCC defeated Miami-Dade and Hinds Community College in the Visit Jackson County MBB Tournament.

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