Malachi Davis leads Eagles to win at Gulf Coast State

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (February 23, 2023) – TCC Men's Basketball traveled to Panama City on Wednesday to take on Gulf Coast State in the Billy Harrison Fieldhouse. It was Gulf Coast State's final home game of the season, and they honored their sophomores before tip-off. Massive offensive contributions from Canadian guards Malachi Davis and Addison Patterson propelled the Eagles to a 111-85 win, bringing them within one game of clinching a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship.

The Eagles began the game getting the Commodores to commit fouls and force turnovers and had the Commodores commit five team fouls within the first 4:35 of the game. It was a back-and-forth affair for the remainder of the first half with the Eagles leading at the intermission 45-42. Gulf Coast State out-rebounded and out-shot Tallahassee however, the Eagles continued to get to the charity stripe as the Commodores racked up fouls to maintain their first-half lead. 

TCC opened the second half 12-3 run within the first three minutes. The Eagles continued their offensive explosion, leading by 17 at one point in the second half. The Commodores would not go away easily going on runs of their own. TCC led by just three with 9:17 left, with Josh Reid connecting on a three to make it 76-73. Immediately after, two quick passes from Malachi Davis to Tom Mark found Okechukwu Okeke all alone in the paint who dunked it to strengthen the lead once again. Ultimately, 66 points scored in the second half was too much for Gulf Coast State, and the Eagles pulled ahead to win 111-85.

Malachi Davis finished with 32 points, one shy of his career-high 33 that he scored at home against the Commodores. Addison Patterson (G, Soph.) added 28 points of his own.

Wednesday's win saw TCC improve to 25-4 on the season and 8-3 in conference play, and marked the final regular season road trip for the Eagles. They finish the season 8-2 in true road games. They return home to play their final home game against Chipola this Saturday, February 25th. Tip off is at 4:00 PM in the Bill Hebrock Eagledome. Before the start of the game, the Eagles' will honor their sophomores who are playing their final game at the Eagledome.

A win would clinch a share of the Panhandle Conference title for TCC and would be their third championship in four seasons. Northwest Florida State hosts Gulf Coast State in the other Panhandle Conference game on Saturday afternoon, and if they and TCC both win, all three schools will be named conference champions, and there will be a three-team playoff next week to determine who receives the automatic bids to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament next month.