Eagle men go for 3-0 start in PC vs. Chipola

Eagle men go for 3-0 start in PC vs. Chipola

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 8, 2016) – On Wednesday, Tallahassee Community College's men's basketball team reached the 2-0 mark in Panhandle Conference play for the first time since 2010. Saturday evening, the Eagles will chase their first 3-0 start in nine years when they host arch-rival Chipola College. 

Saturday's game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip and follows women's action, which begins the doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. Both games can be seen live online at TCCeagles.com

General admission is $5. TCC students, faculty and staff receive free admission with a valid TCC ID. 

The last time the Eagle men won their first three PC games was 2007 – they eventually started 5-0 en route to a 9-3 finish and a berth in the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Tournament. Any talk of a postseason berth for the present squad is very much premature, but a win on Saturday would keep Tallahassee atop the PC standings and assure itself of at least a share of first place heading into next Saturday's trip to Northwest Florida State College. 

Tallahassee is coming off one of its most impressive victories of the season, Wednesday's 95-81 come-from-behind victory at Gulf Coast State College. After giving up 50 first-half points, the Eagles flipped the script and outscored the Commodores, 53-31, in the second half. 

Five players scored in double-figures, led by Jahvaughn Powell's career-high 21 points. Deion Bute recorded a double-double, tallying career-highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Eagles will need that same kind of effort to knock off an Indians squad averaging 86.6 points per game. Chipola hasn't played since last Saturday when it fell at home to Gulf Coast State by 14 in its PC opener but has won seven of ten overall. 

Tallahassee, meanwhile, is riding a six-game winning streak. More impressively, the Eagles have done the damage without second-leading scorer Ryan Johnson (14.1 ppg), who has nursed a stress fracture in his left foot since mid-December. Johnson is not expected to play on Saturday. 

Saturday's opener will pit a pair of teams looking to not only avoid a second PC loss but stay clear of the dreaded fourth-place spot in the league standings. The top three teams will advance to the postseason. 

Both Tallahassee and Chipola have fallen at the hands of Gulf Coast State – Chipola by seven at home, Tallahassee by 13 on the road earlier this week. 

Playing the second of three straight nationally-ranked opponents, the Eagles could use a signature win for Coach Franqua "Q" Bedell, and Saturday would qualify as such. Chipola, the defending national champions, has won the last seven meetings and 14 of 15 overall. 

Tallahassee vs. Chipola Women's Capsule 

  • Tipoff: 5:30 p.m.
  • Broadcast Info: TCCeagles.com (video)
  • Records: Tallahassee (12-7, 1-1), Chipola (13-3, 0-1)
  • Rankings: Tallahassee (FCSAA No. 7), Chipola (FCSAA No. 3, NJCAA No. 7)
  • Head-to-Head: Chipola leads the all-time series, 35-25
  • In Tallahassee: Series tied 14-14
  • Current streak: Chipola has won seven in a row (14 of 15 overall)
Tallahassee vs. Chipola Men's Capsule
  • Tipoff: 7:30 p.m.
  • Broadcast Info: TCCeagles.com (video)
  • Records: Tallahassee (13-7, 2-0), Chipola (12-6, 0-1)
  • Rankings: Tallahassee (FCSAA No. 9), Chipola (FCSAA No. 10)
  • Head-to-Head: Chipola leads the all-time series, 42-33
  • In Tallahassee: Chipola leads 19-17
  • Current streak: Chipola has won one in a row (Tallahassee has won four of the last six)