MARIANNA, Fla. – After the Gulf Coast Commodores took a 14-0 lead to start the game, it appeared as though another number one team would go down in The Milt on Saturday afternoon. Coach Donnie Tyndall's squad used a big second half to come away with a 70-61 win and avoid the upset.
Chipola moved to 21-0 on the season and 3-0 in Panhandle Conference, one of the best starts in the college's 75-year history. Gulf Coast fell to 12-7 overall and lost their first Panhandle game of the year to move to 1-1 in conference play.
Four of the Commodores' first five buckets were from long range to build their early lead. Meanwhile, the Indians came out cold and did get on the board until Zach Bell hit a three from the corner after four minutes had expired.
With a little more than nine minutes remaining before half, the Indians closed to within two on a drive down the lane from Bell, but the Commodores used an 8-0 run to take back control.
The Commodores continued their hot shooting and took a 38-29 lead into the locker room. Gulf Coast shot 40.6 percent from the floor in the first half, including 7-for-18 from three-point range.
The Indians shot just 37.5 percent from the floor and were a dismal 3-for-14 from long distance.
Chipola fans have grown accustomed to early second half comebacks and the Indians did not disappoint.
With 13:36 remaining in the game, Cliff Davis hit a three from the corner in front of the Chipola bench to give the Indians their first lead of the game, 41-40.
The Indians and the Commodores exchanged the lead back and forth several times but with just over five minutes remaining, Jerald Colonel got the rebound on a missed Kendall Moore free throw and laid it in to break a 54-54 tie.
The Indians' suffocating defense was too much for the Commodores in the second half and the Indians went on to take the win by nine.
Gulf Coast shot just 28.1 percent in the second half and the Commodores found it much more difficult to hit from long range in the final twenty minutes. A single three pointer in fourteen attempts was all the Commodores could produce in the second half.
Eleven of the twelve that saw playing time for the Indians scored with only Jatarion Warren reaching double digits with 10. Jamil Safieddine added nine.
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