Tallahassee upsets No. 2 Chipola

MARIANNA, Fla. (January 25, 2020) – Tallahassee Community College's women's basketball team upset NJCAA No. 2/Region 8 No. 1 Chipola College on Saturday evening, 68-62, in Marianna. 

Tallahassee (10-9, 1-4 Panhandle Conference) snapped a five-game losing streak and picked up a win it desperately needed to remain within striking distance of the league leaders. The Eagles are just one game back of fourth-place Pensacola State College and 1.5 games back of third-place Northwest Florida State College, who visits the Bill Hebrock Eagledome on Wednesday. 

Chipola fell into a first-place in the league standings with Gulf Coast State College. Both teams are now 4-2 in PC play. 

Tallahassee rode its best shooting performance of the season to the upset, hitting 25-of-48 (52.1 percent) field goal attempts, including 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) in the second half. 

"We have faced many hurdles this season, but we continued to add one brick to our foundation each week," said head coach Matt Huddleston, who garnered his first PC victory as well as his first win over a nationally-ranked opponent. "Tonight was a peek at what growth we have already achieved. 

"When we're done building, this incredible group of young women will have built something no one can ignore." 

It was a less than promising start for Tallahassee, who faced an early 13-4 deficit. Chipola, however, missed its next eight shots, and the Eagles scored seven unanswered points over the final 4:24 of the quarter. 

Polina Nikulochkina opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to complete a 10-0 run and give Tallahassee its first lead of the game (14-13), the first of seven lead changes in the quarter. The Eagles took just ten field goal attempts in the quarter, but hit six, including a three by Ana Nikulochkina and a bucket in the paint by Sedayjha Payne to close the half on a 5-0 run for a 28-24 lead at the intermission. 

Tallahassee never trailed in the second half, although Chipola scored seven straight points to force a 33-all tie at the 4:03 mark of the third quarter. After the teams traded empty possessions, Briana Chambers' putback gave the Eagles the lead for good with 3:12 remaining in the third, and they took a 42-39 lead to the final quarter. 

A relatively low-scoring game turned into an offensive explosion in the fourth, as the teams combined for 49 points. An 11-4 run midway through the quarter by Tallahassee yielded an eight-point advantage with 4:47 remaining, and Ana Nikulochkina's sixth three-pointer gave the Eagles a 63-54 lead at the 1:46 mark. 

Tallahassee didn't attempt another field goal – the Eagles hit eight of their nine shots in the quarter – and was able to seal the game at the free throw line, despite hitting just five of ten attempts in the final two minutes. 

Ana Nikulochkina scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Payne added 14 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. 

Wednesday's game against Northwest Florida State tips off at 5:30 p.m.