GAME PREVIEW: #11 Chipola starts important week tonight in Raider Arena

MARIANNA, Fla. – Tonight in Niceville, the #11 Chipola Indians (19-5; 4-2) start an important week that will have a huge impact on their postseason resume. Chipola, the second-place team in the Panhandle Conference, travels to Raider Arena to face #18 Northwest Florida (17-6, 3-3), the league's third place team. The Indians will travel to #16 Pensacola State, the conference leader going into tonight's game. The Pirates will host Gulf Coast, who is tied for third with the Raiders, tonight in Hartsell Arena.

Chipola took care of business on Saturday night by defeating Tallahassee State, 78-61, for Homecoming at the Milton H. Johnson Center. The Indians had five players score in double digits led by Trent Lincoln and Grace Aluma who each totaled 13 points in the win.

Sophomore Antonio Baker, who had 8 points in the win against the Eagles, leads Chipola in scoring with 12.6 points per game. Lincoln is not far behind with an average of 12.2 ppg.

The Indians are averaging 70.7 ppg while holding their opponents to 59.8 ppg. Chipola is shooting 42.6% from the floor and making 29.0% of their shots from three-point range.

GAME INFORMATION

Time: 7:30 PM CST

Location: Raider Arena – Niceville, Fla.

Streaming: #11 Chipola @ #18 Northwest Florida

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Northwest Florida was outmatched last Saturday night in Panama City. Gulf Coast took out the Raiders, 76-50, to pull even with NWF in the conference standings at 3-3.

Northwest Florida's leading scorer this season, Davion Hill, was held to nine points in the loss. Hill averages 14.2 points per game and had a season-high 38 points in a win on February 1 against Tallahassee. Freshman guard Dwayne Pierce, came off the bench to lead the Raiders against the Commodores with 20 points. Pierce is the second-leading scorer on the team and averages 11.4 ppg.

This season the Raiders are averaging 78.0 ppg while holding their opponents to 66.9 ppg. The team is shooting 49.0% from the floor which includes a 33.6% from behind the three-point line.4

GAME NOTES

• Chipola won the first meeting between the two teams, 67-57, on January 25 in Marianna. With a win on Wednesday, Chipola will take the season series with the Raiders for the sixth consecutive season. The Raiders last won the series when they took two of three from Chipola during the 2018-2019 season.
• The Indians have won their last five games inside Raider Arena, going 2-0 against the Raiders in the 2023-2024 regular season and winning three games to take the 2034 FCSAA/Region VIII title, including another victory over the home team in the Championship game.
• In his fifth season as Chipola's Head Coach, Donnie Tyndall is 13-4 against the Raiders. Chipola is 15-3 inside Raider Arena under Coach Tyndall including the 2021, 2022, & 2024 State Championships.