Indians fall to Miami Dade; look for at-large bid to NJCAA Tournament

NICEVILLE, Fla. – Raider Arena, especially in mid-March, is typically very accommodating to the Chipola Indians but on Thursday afternoon, the building nor the Miami Dade Sharks were very welcoming. #2 seed and 11^th ranked Chipola (24-7) fell to #7 Miami Dade, 73-67, to make an early exit from the 2025 FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament.

The Indians now await the NJCAA selection show on March 16 to determine if they will receive one of the eight at-large berths to the National Tournament. The NJCAA D1 Men's Basketball Tournament starts on March 22, 2025 in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The Indians and Sharks were back and forth through much of the first half. At the 9:02 mark, an Antonio Baker three-pointer gave Chipola a 16-15 lead but the Indians would not make another field goal for four minutes.

Miami Dade used an 11-1 run during that time to take control of the game and push out to a 26-17 lead. The Sharks connected on 7 of 14 three-point field goals in the first half while the Indians managed just 2-of-9. After the first twenty minutes, Chipola trailed Miami Dade, 33-27.

Chipola started the second half in the way their fans have grown accustomed following a Donnie Tyndall locker room pep talk. The Indians quickly turned a six-point deficit into a 37-36 lead on an emphatic Trent Lincoln breakaway dunk, forcing a Miami Dade timeout with just three minutes off the clock in the second half.

The teams continued their back-and-forth scoring and were tied at 44 with 10:45 left in the game. At that point, the Sharks once again used their long-range shooting to pull away from the Indians. A pair of threes and a breakaway layup started a 15-3 run that gave Miami Dade their largest lead of the game, 59-47.

Chipola's struggles from the free throw line reappeared at the worst time. The Indians finished the game 9-of-23 from the charity stripe which turned out to be a difference in the game.

Despite missed opportunities over the final five minutes of the game, Chipola closed to within four with less than a minute to play. However, the Sharks refused to allow an opening for the Indians by converting on 9-of-10 free throws in the final minute.

Antonio Baker finished the game with 17 points and Justin Burns followed him with 16. Trent Lincoln also fished in double digits with 10.