Eagle women fall in double OT to Pensacola State
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pensacola State College | 10 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 72 |
|
Tallahassee (12-13, 3-8) | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 68 |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 19, 2020) – Tallahassee Community College's women's basketball team lost in double overtime to Pensacola State College, 72-68, in Wednesday's home finale at the Bill Hebrock Eagledome.
Tallahassee fell to 12-13 overall, 3-8 in Panhandle Conference play, heading in to Saturday's season finale at Gulf Coast State College.
With the game tied at 55, Pensacola State had the final possession in regulation but Anita Payne's three-pointer missed as time expired. Tallahassee had the final possession in the first overtime but Rita James' shot was blocked along the baseline just before the horn sounded, sending the game to a second overtime tied at 62.
In the second OT, Pensacola State outscored the Eagles, 10-6, behind a pair of three-pointers from Jordyn Neal.
Tallahassee was more than valiant in defeat, playing its second straight game with only six healthy players. All six played at least 31 of the 50 minutes while four – Ana Nikulochkina, Rita James, Sedayjha Payne and Kyra Smith – logged 44 minutes or more.
"No excuses," said Tallahassee head coach Matt Huddleston. "Six players represented everything our program is about. Double overtime against a great Pensacola State team. Our tanks never ran empty because 12 hours fueled six bodies."
The game featured nine ties and ten lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven points.
Tallahassee led 62-59 following Nikulochkina's three-point play with 2:40 left in the first overtime. That turned out to be its final lead of the night. The Eagles didn't score the rest of the way in the first extra period and never led in the second overtime.
Nikulochkina scored a game-high 26 points. James had 16. Payne added nine points and 15 rebounds. Smith had seven points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore Rushell Jacob, playing her final home game, had four points and eight rebounds. Briana Chambers tossed in six points and six boards.
Tallahassee and Gulf Coast State will tip at 3 p.m. Saturday.
