11/15-11/17 Women's Basketball Recap

By: Zane Watson

Lake Worth, FL -- Palm Beach State College experienced a successful weekend of basketball, with both teams winning twice. The men's team won two games at home while the women's team swept a two-game trip at the Daytona Invitational. The men's team recorded a significant win Friday night, defeating the nationally ranked Northwest Florida State College Raiders.

On Friday, the Panthers defeated Northwest Florida State 71-66. The Raiders entered the game ranked fourth in Florida and 22^nd in the country. There were eight ties and eight lead changes. Mohamed Fofana led PBSC with 15 points, and Nick Edwards and Donald Green had 14 points. For Northwest Florida, Seth Millner led all scorers with 19 points.

After a quick start by the Panthers, Northwest Florida State took control with a 15-0 run. The Raiders led 35-34 at halftime.

In the second half, the Panthers used accurate shooting to take the lead. The Panthers made six consecutive field goals in a row, including a key 3-pointer from Mohamed Fofana to take a 60-57 lead. Palm Beach State would not relinquish the lead, winning 71-66.

Second-half shooting made a difference—Palm Beach State went 50 percent from the field after halftime (13-26), while Northwest Florida shot only 32 percent (11-34). The Raiders made only two of their last 10 shots.

The next day, Palm Beach State hosted the Saint Petersburg College Titans. The Panthers won a tight 71-69 game. The game came down to the final possession. With less than a second on the clock, the Panthers fouled Titans forward Keondre Jackson. Jackson missed both free throws, sealing the Panthers' win. Tim Holland scored a team-leading 17 points.

Saturday's victory extended the Panthers winning streak to six games. In this week's poll, PBSC is ranked ninth in the state.

While the men's team won two home games, the women's team swept a two-game weekend at the Daytona State Classic. On Friday, the Panthers defeated Trinity College of Florida 93-42. Alma Danielsson recorded a game-leading 15 points, making seven of her eight shots from the field. Kaelei Koenig and Stina Rehn-Andersson added 12 points each, while Jaliyah Spencer and Sade Bass scored 11 points.

The Panthers showed strong defense, recording 12 steals and seven blocks. Trinity shot 27 percent for the game.

On Saturday, the women's team beat the Hillsborough College Hawks 92-70. Izzy Allen had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while also tallying six steals. The Panthers had 37 points from the bench, led by Jaliyah Spencer (16) and Angela Denis (14).

The Panthers limited Hillsborough to eight points in the first quarter. Hawks guard Alaisa Spivey scored 44 of the Hawks' 70 points.

The men's basketball team will face Gamechangers Prep for the second time on Tuesday at 7:00 PM before traveling to Winter Haven to face Chipola College and Florida State College at Jacksonville at the Josh Giles Memorial Classic. Chipola is ranked fifth in the NJCAA Top 25.

The women's basketball team will have their first home game Friday at 5:30 when they welcome Hillsborough Community College for a rematch of last Saturday's game. The Panthers will face Saint Petersburg College on Saturday at 2:00.