Gulf Coast State pulls away late to beat TCC men

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 12, 2013) – FCSAA No. 5 Gulf Coast State College outscored No. 10 Tallahassee Community College 22-6 over the final 7:37 and defeated the Eagles 82-66 on Saturday evening in Panhandle Conference men's basketball action.

Tallahassee (12-6) dropped to 0-2 in league play while Gulf Coast State (17-3) won for the second time in three PC contests.

With 14 lead changes already in the books, Tallahassee's Curtis Diamond hit a three-pointer – capping a 7-0 run – to tie things up at 60-all with 7:37 left in the game, the eighth and final tie of the evening.

On the Commodores' ensuring possession, seven-footer Andrew Fishler converted a second shot opportunity to put Gulf Coast State back in front, 62-60. The Commodores never trailed again, as the basket ignited a 19-2 run over the next six minutes.

During that stretch, Tallahassee missed six consecutive shot attempts and committed six turnovers, helping the Commodores tally 14 points on the evening off the Eagles' miscues.

Tallahassee hit 17-of-31 (54.8 percent) shots in the first half and led 41-40 at the intermission, but made only 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) shots after the break and was outscored 42-25.

Balanced scoring was a theme on both sides, as each team placed four players in double figures.

Trevor McDade led Tallahassee with 19 points. He was followed by Diamond with 13, Bernard Kline with 12 and C.J. Washington with 10.

Leonard Smith, Jr., led Gulf Coast State with 19.

Tallahassee will return to action on Tuesday when it hosts Northwest Florida State College for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The game will be carried by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting at www.PSBlive.com.