NICEVILLE, Fla. – In a game that saw each team take double-digit leads, it took overtime to settle the outcome of the Panhandle Conference opening game for the #14 Chipola Indians and the #3 Northwest Florida Raiders.
In the end, it was double-digit outputs by all five Chipola starters that propelled the Indians to a 76-73 win on the Raiders' home floor and 1-0 record in conference play.
First half featured runs from both teams
The Indians appeared to be in complete control with seven and a half minutes remaining in the first half when Jerald Colonel gave the Indians what would be their largest lead of the night at 25-15 on a layup, two of his fourteen points on the evening.
The Raiders closed out the half on a 20-6 run, however, to carry a 35-31 lead into the locker room.
Forty minutes wouldn't be enough to settle this rivalry
Northwest Florida picked up in the second half where they left off. A 10-2 run by the Raiders in the first five minutes following the break, had those dressed in red at Raider Arena feeling like a win was imminent.
Midway through the second half, the Raiders took their largest lead of the night, 54-41, on a jumper by RaSheed Jones, a redshirt-freshman from Marion, Indiana. Jones finished the afternoon with 27 points, a season-high for the transfer from Western Carolina University.
The next four minutes of the game belonged to the visitors from Marianna. The Indians allowed only a pair of free throws as they went on a 16-2 run. Chipola took the lead, 57-56, when sophomore Zocko Littleton Jr. scored his only three points of the game with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.
The game of runs continued as the Raiders used a 9-2 outburst to take a 65-59 lead with just over three minutes remaining on the clock.
The Indians would come right back, using a pair of free throws from Greedy Williams and a three-pointer from Sami Pissis. After JJ Walton hit one of two free throws with 2:12 remaining, the score was knotted at 65-65, one of nine tie scores in the game.
On the ensuing possession, the Raiders took a two-point lead on sophomore Tavian Banks' layup with 1:41 remaining.
Following a Chipola turnover, Jones had a look at another three that missed but the Raiders got the offensive board. Following the rebound, Banks put the ball back up but it also missed and Chipola's Walton came down with the ball.
Following a missed layup on the other end by Williams, Walton was fouled on the rebound and went to the line needing two to tie the score with 40 seconds remaining.
Chipola was solid all night at the charity stripe, going 26-of-32, including the two made shots from Walton to tie the game at 67.
The Indians would have a chance to win the game on the last shot after a Northwest Florida miss but an off-balance three by Sami Pissis hit off the front of the rim to send the game into overtime.
Free throws the difference in OT
The overtime started as the rest of the game had played out. Northwest Florida went up by six with 3:39 left in overtime on back-to-back three-pointers from Jones. The two shots made Jones 7-of-12 from deep but it would turn out to be his, and the Raiders', last points of the evening.
Chipola rallied back with five unanswered points to pull within one with 28 seconds remaining. Faced with needing to foul, Chipola's Dontae Walker sent Jones, the game's highest scorer, to the line to shoot one-and one. Jones, who had made his two previous attempts in the game, missed on his first shot and Walton gathered in the rebound.
With 18 seconds remaining in the game, Williams was fouled while driving to the basket. Williams calmly sunk both to put Chipola up by one.
Leading 74-73, Colonel hauled in a missed shot by the Raiders with four seconds remaining and was fouled. After Colonel sunk both shots, the Raiders had a chance for a three-quarter court shot that just missed to the left of the goal.
Leading scorers for Chipola
The Indian's first five scored 70 of the team's 76 points in the win with 16 coming from Sami Pissis. J.J. Walton recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jerald Colonel was two rebounds shy of a double-double but had 14 points. After scoring 11 in the first half, Dontae Walker ended the game with 13 and Greedy Williams had 12.
Up next for the Indians
Chipola will put their 27-game home winning streak on the line on Wednesday when they take on Pensacola State. The Pirates lost on Saturday, 83-67, at home to Gulf Coast. Coach Pete Pena's squad is 11-7 on the season and 0-1 in Panhandle play. The men are set to tip it off at 7:30 PM, following the Lady Indians and Pensacola at 5:30 PM.
GAME NOTES
- Chipola's win over the win made Coach Donnie Tyndall 10-3 against the Raiders in his four years leading the Indians.
- The Indians should see a bump in the polls following the win over the #3 team in the country on their home floor. Due to Martin Luther King Jr, the NJCAA rankings will be released Tuesday, January 16.
- In the last eight meetings between the two rivals, only two games have been decided by double digits, a ten-point win for the Raiders last season and a sixteen-point victory for the Indians in the 2021-2022 season.
- Chipola is now 11-3 in four seasons at Raider Arena under Coach Donnie Tyndall, including back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022.
- Saturday's victory over the Raiders was Coach Donnie Tyndall's 99th win at Chipola.
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