MARIANNA, Fla. – The seventh seeded Chipola Lady Indians (11-13) open the 2022-2023 FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament at 1 PM on Wednesday, March 8, at Raider Arena in Niceville.

Tournament Links:

• Tournament Website
• Live Stream
• Radio Broadcast – 94.1 FM
• Region VIII Tournament on Twitter
• WBB Tournament Bracket
• Tournament Program

Coach Greg Franklin's squad will face a familiar opponent in their first game, the tournament's second seed and #6 NJCAA ranked Northwest Florida Raiders. Chipola will be facing the Raiders for the fourth time this season and looking for their first win in the matchup.

In the three previous meetings, the Lady Indians could not overcome slow starts. In the last meeting between the two teams, Chipola outscored the Raiders in each of the final three quarters but a 22-6 Raiders' lead after the first ten minutes was insurmountable.

Chipola will look to shutdown the Panhandle's Player of the Year, Sakima Walker. The sophomore forward averages 16.0 points per game and scored 25 points against the Lady Indians the last time the teams met.

The Lady Indians will look to the NJCAA's fourth leading scorer, sophomore Ashley Baez, to counter Walker. Baez averages 22.0 points per game and put up 24 points against Northwest Florida in Raider Arena on January 28.

Tournament Notes

• Northwest Florida and Chipola have won the last three FCSAA/Region VIII Championships with the Lady Indians winning in 2021 and the Raiders winning in 2020 and 2022.
• Teams from the Panhandle Conference have won the FCSAA/Region VIII Women's Tournament every year since 1998.
• All three Panhandle teams are on the same side of the bracket. Number three seed Gulf Coast plays the number six seed, Florida SouthWestern, at 3 PM on Wednesday. With a Gulf Coast win, two Panhandle teams will meet in the semifinals.
• Half of the teams in this year's tournament are ranked in the NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Rankings: Eastern Florida (#2); Northwest Florida (#6); Gulf Coast (#9); and Indian River State (#17).
• Chipola is 1-9 against teams in this year's tournament with their only win coming against Gulf Coast when they were undefeated and ranked first in the NJCAA.