GAMEDAY: Chipola takes on TCC on ESPN+

Sophomores Ivi Nikolova and JT Warren | photos courtesy of Joseph Daniel Williams

Posted: Jan 21, 2023

MARIANNA, Fla. – Chipola and Tallahassee square off in both schools' final game of the first round of the Panhandle Conference schedule. The men's teams are looking to end the first round atop the league standings while the ladies' team on each side look to avoid the bottom.

Saturday's games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and with a full house expected inside the Bill Hebrock Eagledome, TCC is encouraging fans to purchase their tickets online ahead of time. You can purchase your tickets if you have not already done so at https://www.tcceagles.com/tickets.

Tip off for the women's game is at 1 PM central with the men following at 3:30 PM central.

If you are a subscriber to ESPN+, you can watch the game on your computer, smart phone, or smart TV. If you would like to subscribe to ESPN+, you can do so for a monthly fee at https://plus.espn.com. Once you have logged in, type "Chipola" in the search bar.

The Lady Indians (7-9; 1-2 PC) are coming off a huge win against the number one ranked team in the NJCAA. Chipola defeated Gulf Coast 83-76 last Saturday at The Milt for their first win in conference play. The Lady Indians will look to carry some momentum into the second round of conference if they can get a win on the road against the Eagles. (2-17; 0-3 PC). The Eagles lost on the road at Gulf Coast on Wednesday night, 96-53.

The Chipola men will be facing their toughest contest of the season as they venture east to take on the #5 Tallahassee Eagles (20-1; 3-0 PC). With both teams coming into this afternoon's matchup undefeated in conference play, the winner will end the first rotation of the schedule in first place in one of the toughest conferences in NJCAA athletics. Both teams defeated Gulf Coast in their last game with Chipola defeating the Commodores at home last Saturday, 70-61, and the Eagles winning last Wednesday, 93-82, in Panama City.

In other Panhandle action this afternoon, Gulf Coast travels to Northwest Florida. The women's game features a top ten matchup as the #4 Raiders take on the Lady Commodores at 2 p.m. central. The men's game tips following the women's at approximately 4 p.m.

Panhandle Conference in the Rankings

Women's Basketball

Northwest Florida (#4 NJCAA; #2 FCSAA)

Gulf Coast (#6 NJCAA; #3 FCSAA)

Pensacola State (#16 NJCAA; #5 FCSAA)

Chipola (#8 FCSAA)

Men's Basketball

Chipola (#1 NJCAA; #1 FCSAA)

Tallahassee (#5 NJCAA; #2 FCSAA)

Northwest Florida (#6 FCSAA)

Gulf Coast (#8 FCSAA)

Today's Matchups

Chipola Lady Indians (7-9; 1-2 PC)

Top Scorer: Ashley Baez (SO), 22.8 ppg

Top Rebounder: Brenda McKinney (SO), 8.2 rpg

Team PPG: 76.8

Team FG%: 42.7

Points Allowed: 64.3

Tallahassee CC Eagles (2-17; 0-3 PC)

Top Scorer: Sarai Estupinan (SO), 13.4 ppg

Top Rebounder: Danesha Boles (SO), 7.8 rpg

Team PPG: 62.5

Team FG%: 35.7

Points Allowed: 74.5

Games Notes

The Lady Indians are 7-0 the last two seasons against the Eagles from Tallahassee Community College. TCC's last win against Chipola was on January 25, 2020 in Marianna.
Chipola has not lost at the Eagledome on TCC's campus since an 87-66 loss on February 13, 2018.
Coach Greg Franklin is 24-7 against the Eagles. TCC is the only Panhandle Conference team to sweep the Lady Indians in Coach Franklin's tenure. The Eagles won the season series 3-0 in the 2017-2018 season.
The Lady Indians get a break this afternoon from playing ranked teams but after facing four straight Top 25 opponents prior to today, they will start another streak of three ranked opponents starting Wednesday night, when they host #16 Pensacola State.

#1 Chipola Indians (21-0; 3-0 PC)

Top Scorer: Derrick Butler (SO), 12.8 ppg

Top Rebounder: Paul Greene (SO), 6.3 rpg

Team PPG: 82.8

Team FG%: 45.9

Points Allowed: 62.3

#5 Tallahassee CC Eagles (20-1; 3-0 PC)

Top Scorer: Addison Patterson (SO), 18.9 ppg

Top Rebounder: Okechukwu Okeke (SO), 6.8 rpg

Team PPG: 89.1

Team FG%: 49.6

Points Allowed: 67.1

Notes

The Indians are 4-3 against Tallahassee under Coach Donnie Tyndall. In 2022, Chipola defeated the Eagles twice before losing on their home court in the final matchup of the season between the two rivals. The 56-45 Tallahassee win was the Indians' last regular season loss.
Saturday's game is just the third game against a ranked opponent this season for the season. Chipola defeated #8 Monroe College, 72-62, on December 4, and opened Panhandle Conference play with a 75-74 win over #25 Northwest Florida State on Janaury 7.
Although this is the first contest between the Indians and the Eagles, Chipola has played in the Eagledome earlier this season. The Indians went 2-0 in the TCC Classic on December 3-4. The Indians have won three consecutive games at the Eagledome including a 63-59 overtime win over Tallahassee last season.
Tallahassee's lone loss this season was to Southern Union State, 82-79, at the NWF Classic in Raider Arena in Niceville. The Indians defeated Southern Union earlier this season, 94-50, at The Milt.
The Indians' 21-0 record is the best start in the college's recorded history. The longest winning streak is held by the 2008-2009 team who won 32 consecutive games after losing the second game of the season.

STAY CONNECTED

For information and live in-game updates, check out both teams on Twitter: Chipola Women's Basketball (@ChipolaWBB) & Chipola Men's Basketball (@ChipolaHoops).

Stay up to date with all Chipola Athletic Events at www.ChipolaAthletics.com, Twitter - @ChipolaNation, and Facebook - ChipolaAthletics.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Women's Basketball

College	Conference	Overall
NORTHWEST FLORIDA	3-0	15-2
GULF COAST STATE	2-1	17-1
PENSACOLA STATE	2-2	15-6
CHIPOLA	1-2	7-9
TALLAHASSEE CC	0-3	2-17

Men's Basketball

College	Conference	Overall
CHIPOLA	3-0	21-0
TALLAHASSEE CC	3-0	20-1
NORTHWEST FLORIDA	1-2	15-6
GULF COAST STATE	1-2	12-8
PENSACOLA STATE	0-4	9-12