Eagle men fall in final seconds at Gulf Coast State

Dustin Kent, Panama City News Herald, @PCNHDustinKent, contributed to this release 

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (January 18, 2020) – Gulf Coast State College's Maurice Gordon hit a basket with 5.1 seconds left to give the Commodores a 75-73 win over Tallahassee Community College on Saturday afternoon in men's basketball action. 

The loss halted Tallahassee's five-game winning streak and dropped the Eagles into a first-place tie alongside the Commodores in the Panhandle Conference standings. Both teams are 3-1 in league play and could be joined by Pensacola State College, if the Pirates beat Northwest Florida State College on Saturday night. 

Gordon's basket capped a nip-and-tuck final ten minutes. 

Trailing by two at the half, Tallahassee came out on fire, knocking down five threes in less than five minutes. Tariq Silver hit the fifth to give the Eagles a 47-39 lead at the 15:22 mark. Tallahassee eventually led 52-43 before the Commodores scored eight unanswered points to pull within 52-51 with 11:35 remaining. 

In a 73-all game inside the final minute, Tallahassee couldn't convert on it possession, giving Gulf Coast State the opportunity to win the game. With the clock winding down, Jacolbey Owens made his way into the paint and found Owens on the baseline for the game-winner. 

El Ellis led Tallahassee with 25 points. Silver had 19. 

Early on, it was all Tallahassee. The Eagles scored the first five points and led 16-6 seven minutes in. Later, a 10-0 run extended the lead to 26-12 at the 6:31 mark. The end of the half belonged to Gulf Coast State, however, who closed on a 17-2 run and led 31-30 at the intermission.   

The Eagles will return to play next Saturday at Chipola College. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.