Eagles win 72-59 at Pensacola State, move to third in conference

PENSACOLA, FL (February 16^th, 2022) – Tallahassee Men's Basketball picked up their third consecutive win on Wednesday night, defeating Pensacola State 72-59. The win brings the Eagles to 5-6 in conference play, tied for third with Gulf Coast State, who comes to the Eagle Dome Saturday for the regular season finale. A win for either team could secure them an at-large bid to the FCSAA State Tournament next month. 

Anthony Thomas (Fr., G) led the way for the Eagles, tallying 25 points and 5 rebounds. Byron Smith (Soph., G) ended the night with 14 points, going 4-5 from three-point range. 

Tallahassee only took a one-point lead into halftime but scored 48 in the second half to pull away and secure the victory. 

Free throw shooting has been a struggle at times for this year's team, but the Eagles knocked down 27 of their 34 shots (79.4%) from the charity stripe, 11 of which came from Thomas, helping them extend their lead in the second half. 

Head Coach Rick Cabrera was asked what this win meant to him and his team. 

"I'm extremely proud of our guys. To battle on the road against a very feisty and well-coached team. They answered every obstacle thrown their way and stayed together," said Cabrera. "Defense has been our staple all season. We are now finally scoring like we are capable of and putting complete games together."

Tallahassee and Gulf Coast have split the first two games of the season series, with the Eagles winning at home 67-65, and the Commodores taking game 2 in Panama City 60-53. Saturday's game will also be sophomore night for TCC, and tip-off is scheduled for 5:00. It will be streamed live here and on TCC's YouTube channel.