All We Do is Win

Eagle men extend their winning streak to four games. Morris, Porter come up big

By Brenden Martin
TCC Sports Information
@brendenmartin28 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (November 9, 2013) - Tallahassee Community College's men's basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season, knocking off Faulkner State (Ala.) Community College on Saturday by a score of 81-67 in the final game of the Men's Tip-Off Classic.

The NJCAA No. 23 ranked Eagles came into Saturday's game with a record of 3-0, looking to extend their winning streak against Faulkner State. It was their second game of the Tip-Off Classic after defeating a physical opponent in Marion (Ala.) Military Institute by 11 points on Friday night.

As for the Sun Chiefs of Faulkner State, they were looking to rebound from their 12- point loss at the hands of Santa Fe College on Friday. They came in to Saturday's game with an overall record of 2-2 on the season.

This game had historical implications to it as well. The two head coaches are among the NJCAA's winningest active coaches. Tallahassee head coach Eddie Barnes has the most wins among any active coaches in Region 8 with 441 following Saturday's win and is 34^th overall in wins in the NJCAA among active coaches. Faulkner State head coach Jack Robertson is fourth among all active coaches in the NJCAA with 788 wins.

The Eagles came out of the locker room swinging, going on a 9-0 run within the first four minutes of the game behind strong post play by Duran Porter. Tallahassee shot the lights out early on, shooting over 80% from the field and 60% from behind the arc. Dirk Williams had 11 points midway through the first half.

The Sun Chiefs eventually started knocking down some shots from the perimeter and got to the rim often, which made the game interesting. Faulkner State trimmed the deficit down to two with four minutes to go in the first half. The Eagles held that two point lead heading into the locker room at halftime, up 44-42.

Dirk Williams led the team in scoring at the half with 11. Not far behind him was Duran Porter with nine. Porter was 3-for-3 from the field in the first half. Earvin Morris and Cameron Naylor had seven points apiece at the break.

The second half got off to a fast pace. The Eagles flew down the court getting ahead in transition, slamming it down and pulling up from behind the arc. The up-tempo offense proved to be big for the Eagles in the second half.

Morris stepped up and carried the team in the second half. He seemed to score at will and contributed in every aspect of the game. He was the high-point man with 16, shooting 67% from the field. Porter also made a huge impact, finishing with 15 points. He was 6-of-7 from the field and had six rebounds as well. Williams had 14 points with four threes.

The Eagles will travel to St. Petersburg College on November 15 to take on the Titans. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tallahassee Community College Athletics would like to thank the Leon County Tourist Development Council for its support of the TCC Tip-off Classic.