Strong 4th quarter leads to 67-57 win over #1 Northwest Florida
With a tie game after three quarters of play, #6 Chipola used a 15-3 start to the 4th to pull away from the Raiders
MARIANNA, Fla. – Not even a record snowfall this week all across the Panhandle could cool off the Lady Indians. Although Coach Mitch Rolls' squad hadn't played since their 94-67 win over #6 Gulf Coast on January 15, they warmed up in the fourth quarter to take a 67-57 win over #1 Northwest Florida State College.
Back and forth for three quarters
Through three quarters of play, the top two teams in the FCSAA were tied eight different times and exchanged the lead 20 times. After the first ten minutes ended with the teams knotted at 12, the teams took turns outscoring the other by three points in the second and third quarters to be tied at 43 going into the final ten minutes.
Both teams exchanged baskets in the first quarter to end the period like it started, with an even score. Five different players on each team scored to produce a 12-12 score but Chipola's Aniyah Ruddock led all scorers with 5 points.
The Lady Indians managed to push out front in the second period as the FCSAA's leading scorer started to heat up. Kanija Daniel scored six in the quarter to bring her total to eight points at the break and give her team a 33-30 lead at the half. Chipola led by as many as four in the quarter but could not separate from the Raiders who hit a trio of three-point shots in the 2nd to keep the score close heading into the locker room.
The Raiders came out in the third quarter looking to quiet the Chipola crowd. After two field goals gave the Raiders a 34-33 lead two minutes into the second half, Chipola Nation became even more silent when Kanija Daniel went to the bench with an apparent injury after a hard foul following a steal by Jailynn Brill. Northwest Florida failed to capitalize on Daniel going to the bench as the score remained the same during her two-minute break.
Serena Heeren made a pair of shots in the paint on consecutive trips but the Raiders hit a three between Heeren's field goals. Heeren's second made basket evened the score at 37 for the 4th tied score of the game with under five minutes left in the quarter.
Trailing by one with under two minutes remaining in the 3rd, Mekhila Brown hit one of two free throws to even the game up once again at 41-41. After Chipola took the lead on a pair of free throws, the Raiders hit the final field goal of the period to tie the score for the eighth, and final time.
Fourth quarter dominance
Although she was the leading scorer in the game with 11 points after 30 minutes of play, Daniel had been kept in check by the Raiders. She was shooting just 2-of-8 from the floor including just one made basket from behind the arc. Most of her damage had come from the free throw line where she was 6 for 8 through the third quarter.
After the Raiders took a 44-43 lead on a made free throw, Daniel reminded everyone how quickly she can take over a game. The sophomore guard hit just her second three-pointer of the game and following a Northwest Florida attempt to respond with a three of their own, Daniel was fouled attempting another shot from behind the line. Daniel sank all three shots from the charity stripe to give the Lady Indians their largest lead of the game to that point.
Through 20 games, Chipola led the nation in rebounds and specifically defensive rebounds. Through three quarters, the Raiders had managed to wrestle away multiple offensive rebounds to get second and even third chances at the basket, which helped keep the game close.
Although she had played less than two minutes in the game, Coach Rolls inserted Trinity Carmouche at the start of the final period. It turned out to be one of the differences in the game as the freshman hauled in three boards preventing the Raiders from getting second looks at the basket. Chipola ended up allowing the Raiders only two second chance shots in the fourth period, both misses.
Meanwhile on the home end of the floor, Daniel continued to score. Her second triple of the quarter put the Lady Indians up by eight and after Aniyah Ruddock hit a triple of her own, The Milt was jumping with an 11-point lead.
Sophomore Jailynn Brill completed a 14-0 run after pulling in a rebound and putting it back up for a 57-44 Chipola lead over the #1 Raiders.
After scoring the first basket of the quarter 15 seconds in to take a one-point lead, Northwest Florida was held scoreless for over four minutes. But following the Raiders' attempt to cut into the lead, Chipola answered with a pair of field goals by Aniyah Ruddock and Daniya McDonald.
With their largest lead of the game, 61-46, and less than four minutes on the clock, Chipola cruised to their 21st victory in as many attempts, a 67-57 win over the number one team in NJCAA D1 Women's Basketball.
Rolling with Rolls
"Our coaching staff is very proud of the team's effort and maturity vs #1 Northwest Florida this weekend. We found ourselves down several times during the first three quarters but the girls never panicked or got upset with each other," said Head Coach Mitch Rolls following the game.
He also acknowledged the electric atmosphere of the Milton H. Johnson Center, "The best fans in the country had The Milt rocking and our players fed off that energy to pull away in the 4th."
Coach Rolls and the Lady Indians know there is still work to do to accomplish their goals for their season as they begin another round of Conference action on Wednesday night at Gulf Coast.
"We showed signs of great leadership and hope to continue that trend into the next two rounds of Panhandle play and into postseason."
Up Next
Chipola travels to Gulf Coast on Wednesday as the second round of Panhandle Conference play begins. Tip between the Lady Indians (21-0; 3-0) and the Lady Commodores (16-2; 2-1) is set for 5:15 PM at Billy Harrison Fieldhouse in Panama City.
Game Notes
- The Lady Indians' win gave them the second longest win streak in school history. With a win on Wednesday, they would tie the 2013-2014 team that won 22 games before losing in the NJCAA semifinals
- Heading into Saturday, three teams in NJCAA D1 Women's Basketball were undefeated: #6 Chipola, #1 Northwest Florida, and #8 McLennan Community College. With Chipola's win over the Raiders and McLennan's 75-63 loss to Collin County Community College on Saturday, the Lady Indians are now the only undefeated team.
- The Lady Indians' win was their first in the Milton H. Johnson Center over the Raiders since January 22, 2022.
- After an eight-game win streak in the series for the Raiders, the Lady Indians have now started a streak of their own. Chipola has won back-to-back games against Northwest Florida that started with a 62-56 win at Raider Arena in the final meeting between the teams in the 2023-2024 season. The last time Chipola defeated the Raiders in consecutive games was the 2016-2017 season when the Lady Indians swept all three meetings.
- With #9 Gulf Coast's win over Pensacola, the Lady Indians are certain to meet their third consecutive top ten team when they face the Lady Commodores on Wednesday. It is their fourth top ten opponent this season.