Posted: Nov 22, 2024
PANAMA CITY, Fla.- For the second straight game, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers went toe to toe with the Nation's #2 ranked team, but once again, the Bucs came up just short in their upset bid as Northwest Florida State edged FSW 58-53 in a defensive battle Friday afternoon in the Panama City Classic hosted by Gulf Coast State.
The Bucs came out firing in the first, working the ball inside to Ivy Brown to take an early 8-5 lead. After Northwest regained the lead, a late three for Samantha Serrano put the Bucs back in front and after 10 minutes of play it was FSW 16 and Northwest Florida 13.
The Raiders took away Brown in the second quarter and with it, took away the Bucs primary scoring option. Northwest quickly erased the Bucs three point lead and raced past them to take a 33-22 lead into the break at half.
The break didn't slow down the Raiders momentum as Northwest slowly padded their cushion until taking a 49-31 lead at the end of three quarters of action.
Just when it looked like the Bucs were dead in the water, they found a second energy and made a push. The Bucs got contributions from up and down their lineup as six different players scored in a 22 point period for the Purple and Aqua, but in the end the deficit was just too big as Northwest held on for a 58-53 win.
Northwest Florida remains undefeated at 8-0 on the year with the win while FSW falls a game below .500 at 2-3.
Things won't get any easier for the Bucs on Saturday as they take on their third straight top five ranked opponent when they square off with the host and 5th ranked Gulf Coast State Commodores in a 2 PM (CT) tip from Panama City.
