Photo courtesy of Phil Kelly
Photo courtesy of Phil Kelly

Late surge sends Eagle men past arch-rival Chipola

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 9, 2016) – Tallahassee Community College's men's basketball team knocked down consecutive three-pointers to break a late 71-71 tie and defeat arch-rival Chipola College, 82-73, on Saturday evening in Panhandle Conference action. 

Tallahassee is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2007. The Eagles (14-7) have won seven in a row overall and remain undefeated (8-0) at home. 

After Deion Bute knocked in a free throw to tie the game at 71-all – the 14th tie of the night – the Eagles forced a turnover on the defensive end. On the ensuing possession, Jahvaughn Powell knocked down a three-pointer to put the Eagles in front for good. After another Chipola turnover, David Simmons got open in the corner and drained another three-pointer to push Tallahassee's lead to 77-71. 

Daishon Smith completed the 9-0 run with two free throws to give Tallahassee a 79-71 lead with 1:29 remaining. 

The game was back-and-forth throughout, with 13 lead changes in addition to the 14 ties. 

Behind the hot hand of Rashad Lewis, Tallahassee took a 41-31 lead with 3:39 left in the first half but Chipola cut into the deficit and trailed 43-38 at the intermission. 

Four players for the Eagles scored in double figures, led by Lewis with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, all behind the arc. 

"Just stay confident," Lewis remarked when asked how he maintains his impressive shooting consistency. 

Smith followed with 15. Powell and Austin Grimes finished the game both scoring 12. 

Simmons, who led the team in rebounds with 12, credited his teammates and stated that they allowed him to be successful on the boards. 

The Eagles hope to continue their win streak against Northwest Florida State College next Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. eastern tip in Niceville.