MARIANNA, Fla. – Men's head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall's 100th win followed the script that many of his 99 other Chipola triumphs have come. Trailing at the break 29-21 against Panhandle Conference opponent, Pensacola State, the Indians adjusted and rallied to defeat the Pirates, 66-57.
Following the game, Athletic Director Jeff Johnson presented Coach Tyndall, surrounded by his players and staff, with a basketball commemorating the 100th win.
Not in our house
The win moved the team to 18-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The win was also the 28th consecutive win at the Milton H. Johnson Center, a streak that dates back to the final game of the 2021-2022 season.
Inside The Milt, with Coach Tyndall at the helm, the Indians are 56-2 overall and 20-1 against Panhandle Conference teams. The only Panhandle team to beat the Indians at home was the 2021-2022 Tallahassee Eagles. The only other loss was an 80-78 loss to Jones College (MS) in the same season.
How the 100th was won
Chipola trailed by 11 with just over 15 minutes left to play in the game but the Chipola faithful know that, under Tyndall, the Indians always fight back in the second half.
The 11-point deficit would be erased over the next four minutes as the Indians began to take control of the game. Chipola connected on three of four free throws on their next two possessions then Joshua "Greedy" Williams rebounded a long three-point attempt from Sami Pissis, drove down the lane and laid it in to cut the lead to six.
Following a missed three by Pensacola, Antonio Baker Jr ignited the Chipola crowd with a three from the corner and was knocked into the Chipola bench. Baker completed the "and one" and Chipola had pulled to within two.
After the teams exchanged possessions, Sami Pissis stole the ball away from the Pirates' Enmanuel Ferreras, drove down the court, and dished it off to Williams who layed it in to even the score at 35.
After a Pensacola timeout, Chipola fell behind by four but after Pissis scored to cut the deficit in half, Zocko Littleton Jr hit a three to give the Indians the lead for good.
With two minutes remaining Chipola went up by 14 on another three by Baker for their largest lead of the night. The Indians went on to secure the eleven-point victory and their 11th straight victory over the Pirates.
Other Tyndall tidbits
- The Indians were either tied with or trailed their opponent at the half, in 25 of the 100 wins under Coach Tyndall.
- Coach Tyndall is third in wins at Chipola behind Milton Johnson (628) and Greg Heiar (164).
- Including a one year stop at St. Catherine College, a junior college in Kentucky, Coach Tyndall's overall NJCAA record is now 130 wins to 22 losses.
- In nine seasons at the NCAA Division I level, Coach Tyndall had a record of 286-123 to make his overall head coaching record, 416-145.
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