The Lady Indians got off to a fast start then finished strong to defeat Pensacola State, 57-45, in Panhandle Conference play on Saturday night.
On a night where the Lady Indians weren't clicking on all cylinders, coach Greg Franklin got huge individual performances from a couple of veterans and a newcomer. Chipola got another strong outing from sophomore guard De'Myla Brown as she poured in 19 points on the night. Sophomore forward Isadora Sousa missed her season high by one as she poured in 16 in the win. Freshman Shimei Muhammad came off the bench and collected 7 rebounds to provide much needed help on the boards as the Lady Indians spent much of the night in foul trouble.
Chipola raced out to a quick lead as four different players scored to give the Lady Indians a 9-2 lead midway through the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, Chipola held a 17-8 lead and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory.
In the second quarter, Chipola found themselves in foul trouble. Two of Chipola's threats in the paint, Brenda McKinney and Ifunanya Nwachukwu, picked up five fouls between them in the first half, forcing coach Franklin to turn to his bench. Shimei Muhammad and Justina Graham would enter the game to help the Lady Indians maintain a presence under the basket.
Aided by only having eight fouls called on their team all night, the Lady Pirates would chip away at the Lady Indians' lead. The early seven point lead proved to be the difference heading into the fourth quarter as the Lady Indians led 40-33. Pensacola carried momentum into the fourth quarter and were bolstered by both McKinney and Nwachukwu fouling out of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Playing much of the second half with three fouls of her own, Isadora Sousa would carry the Lady Indians to victory in the fourth quarter. Sousa helped Chipola stretch the lead by scoring 10 of her 16 points in the final quarter including two three-point baskets.
Chipola moves to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in the Panhandle Conference. The Lady Indians' will host Tallahassee Community College on Tuesday night at 5:30.