Late comeback falls short; Eagles lose 67-61

By Karl Hunt, TCC Sports Information

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 10, 2015) – The FCSAA No. 4 Tallahassee Community College Eagles fell to 1-2 in Panhandle Conference play Saturday night with a 67-61 loss to No. 6 Gulf Coast State College.

Tallahassee is now 15-5 while Gulf Coast State improved to 14-5 (1-1 PC). 

The Eagles struggled offensively on the night only shooting 30.9 percent.  In the first half, Tallahassee shot 26.9 percent (7-for-26) from the floor but stayed in the game behind excellent free throw shooting as it hit 11-of-12 shots. 

Gulf Coast State led 34-28 at the half, and the Commodores added two quick baskets in the first minutes of the second half to push the lead to 10, their largest of the game.  

The Eagles fought back in the second half and pulled within four and had a chance to close the gap even further before coming up empty on three straight crucial possessions beginning at the 3:08 mark - Dirk Williams missed a layup in transition; Jahvaughn Powell picked off a pass and had to tight-rope the sideline before being ruled out of bounds on what would have been a breakaway layup and Aitor Breton missed a pair of free throws. 

Even so, the Eagles only trailed 62-58 and went to the final minute down 64-60, but Elliot Cole knocked down a three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to essentially seal the game for the Commodores. 

Williams led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 5-of-8 from three-point range.  Norbertas Giga also scored in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting and 5-of-7 from the foul line.

Rysheed Corbin led the team defensively with seven rebounds and a steal.

The Eagles' next game will be on the road as they travel to take on Chipola College on Tuesday, January 13. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. eastern.