Overwhelming defense powers Indians past Pensacola

The Chipola men's basketball team made their presence known from the outset at Pensacola State College on Saturday night. The Indians (9-3; 4-2 PC) kept the Pirates off the scoreboard for the first six and half minutes of the game and went on to suffocate their opponents and pick up their ninth win of the season, 59-40. The forty points were the lowest of a Chipola opponent this season.

The Pirates (4-6; 3-3 PC) were only able to make nine shots on the night as they were held to just 21.4 percent from the field, including 4-of-26 from three-point range. Chipola ended Pensacola's three game winning streak that included wins over each of the other teams in the Panhandle Conference.

After the early lead, the Pirates were able to close the gap to 14-10. Kris Gardner caught fire from behind the arc, shooting 4 of 4 and leading all scorers with 13 points in the first half. After a few stagnant possessions with 8 minutes left to play, the Indians started to dominate offensively. With eight players contributing on offense, Chipola took control and ended the half up 32-18. At the break, Chipola was shooting 42.3 percent to Pensacola's 26.1 percent.

In the second half, Chipola would continue to make it difficult for the Pirates to score. The Pirates were just 3-of-19 from the field including 2-of-14 from beyond the arc in the second half. Thanks to their stifling defense, the Indians would lead by as many as 23 in the second half. The Indians were also strong from three-point range as they continued their streak of winning when they shoot above 25 percent from deep, making 7-of-17 for 41.2 percent.

Kris Gardner led all scorers with 19 points shotting 7-of-10 from the field and making 4 of his 5 three point attempts. Gardner, along with Naheem McLeod and Nae'Qwan Tomlin, led the Indians in rebounds, pulling down five boards each.

The Indians (#5 FCSAA Region 8) moved into sole possession of second place in the Panhandle Conference with the victory. They will host NJCAA #7/FCSAA #1 Tallahassee Community College (10-1; 4-1 PC) on Tuesday with an opportunity to take over first place as they trail the Eagles by one-half game. Tip off at The Milt is set for 7:30 PM.

From Coach Tyndall

"We played extremely well at the defensive end tonight. Pensacola is a very well coached and balanced team and I thought we did a nice job of making them earn every bucket they got.  KG (Gardner) and Bryce (Zephir) gave us a nice lift off the bench as they both were very aggressive in making plays for themselves and their teammates.  Overall it was a good road win and I was pleased with our effort."