Men's Basketball opens conference play with road win

NICEVILLE, Fla. (January 11, 2023) — After a 17-1 start to the season, the Eagles traveled to Niceville on Wednesday evening to take on Northwest Florida State for their first Panhandle Conference game of the season. The #25 Raiders already had one conference game in the books, losing 75-74 on the road at #1 Chipola. In a game that saw 15 lead changes, the Eagles led by six at halftime. They led by 12 with less than three minutes to play in the game, a deficit that the Raiders nearly overcame a few days ago in Marianna. With less than a minute to play the Eagles' lead shrank to just five points, but a late three from Ja'Quavian Florence (G, Soph.) proved to be enough to secure the win. Florence finished with 12 points, his third straight game in double figures. 

"I was really proud of the way our guys fought," said head coach Rick Cabrera. "There are no easy wins in this conference, and Northwest Florida is a talented, well-coached team."

Wednesday's win was the Eagles' 18th straight. It moves them into second place in the Panhandle Conference, a half-game behind Chipola who have played one more game to this point. 

Addison Patterson (G, Soph.) led the Eagles in scoring with 15 points. Shooting 4-12 from the field, it wasn't the most explosive offensive performance from Patterson, but he contributed to the win in several different ways. He added five rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Tom Mark (F, Soph.) added 13 points and 9 rebounds. 

As a team, the Eagles shot 48% from the field, and made half of their attempts in the second half, leading to 41 points scored after the break to secure the win. 

TCC hosts Pensacola State in the Eagledome on Saturday, January 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00, and the game will be streamed here.