#TCCBasketball: Eagle women fall at No. 1 Gulf Coast State

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (February 10, 2016) – The race for third place in the Panhandle Conference tightened up on Wednesday evening as Region 8 No. 5 Tallahassee Community College fell to top-ranked Gulf Coast State College 78-63 in women's basketball action. 

Tallahassee's loss, combined with Northwest Florida State College's 66-38 win at Pensacola State College, reduced the Eagles' lead over the fourth-place Raiders to a half game in the league standings. 

Tallahassee hosts Chipola College on Saturday while Northwest Florida State will host Gulf Coast State. Northwest Florida State will travel to Chipola next Tuesday then the Eagles and Raiders close the regular season in Niceville February 20. 

Gulf Coast State raced out to a 26-14 lead after one quarter, thanks largely to a 15-0 run that turned a 9-8 lead into a 16-point deficit for the Eagles. Tallahassee recovered, somewhat, scoring six of the final eight points of the quarter. 

A 10-2 run helped Tallahassee stay within striking distance, down just 35-24 with two minutes to play in the second quarter. This time, it was Gulf Coast State who closed strong, scoring six of the final nine points to lead 41-27 at the intermission. 

The teams played to a 37-37 tie in the second half but the damage was already done. 

Lawriell Wilson led four players in double-figures for Tallahassee with 14 points. Lindsay John scored 12, Janessa Murphy, 11, and Sabrina Banks, 10. 

Kristina King's 25 points helped Gulf Coast State to a 50-25 advantage in the paint. She also added 14 rebounds, keying a 43-26 advantage on the boards. 

Tallahassee and Chipola will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.