Return to form: Eagle men cruise past Hillsborough

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (December 31, 2014) – Dirk Williams scored 24 points and both Elmo Stephen and Eric Nottage added double-doubles to lead NJCAA No. 19/FCSAA No. 3 Tallahassee Community College past Hillsborough Community College 89-69 on day two action at the Tallahassee Democrat Holiday Classic on Wednesday evening. 

The Eagles won both of their games in the Classic and will carry a 14-3 record into Saturday's Panhandle Conference opener against undefeated and NJCAA No. 2/FCSAA No. 1 Northwest Florida State College. 

After pulling out a 67-63 win over Garrett (Md.) College on Tuesday, the Eagles were in more dominant form against the Hawks. 

Tallahassee erased an early 10-3 deficit and seized control with an 11-0 run that resulted in a 33-20 lead at the 6:12 mark of the first half. 

Williams knocked down four three-pointers in the first half and scored 14 points as the Eagles took a 45-29 lead to the locker room. Tallahassee shot 54.5 percent (18-of-33) from the floor and hit 7-of-12 from long distance during the first 20 minutes. 

The shots kept falling after the intermission as Tallahassee connected on 14-of-22 shots in the second half and ended the night shooting 58.2 percent (32-of-55) overall. The Eagles were even better behind the arc where they shot 65.0 percent (13-of-20) for the game. 

Williams hit 6-of-8 three-point attempts to finish with 24 points. 

Stephen added 13 points and 12 rebounds while Nottage scored 11 points and dished out 11 assists. 

Cameron Smith also finished in double-figures with 10 points. 

Tallahassee and Northwest Florida State will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be carried online, courtesy of Panhandle Sports Broadcasting, at www.PSBlive.com.

Tallahassee Community College would like to thank the Leon County Tourist Development Council, the Tallahassee Democrat and Wendy's at Appleyard and Pensacola for their support of theTallahassee Democrat Holiday Classic.