Indians fall in semifinals; seek NJCAA at-large bid
The NJCAA will announce its tournament field on Sunday at 6 PM
NICEVILLE, Fla. – Chipola's hopes of a third consecutive FCSAA/Region VIII championship ended on Friday night with a 61-55 loss to Northwest Florida.
With a 28-4 record and a top ten ranking most of the season, the Indians will look for an at-large berth into the NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament when the field is announced on Sunday evening.
Sophomore guard Jamil Safieddine led the Indians with 17 points. Sophomore Cliff Davis backed up his double-digit performance from the night before with 13 points against the Raiders.
Chipola committed 24 fouls in the semifinal game against the Raiders after only being signaled for nine fouls in the Indians' first round game the night before. Chipola and Miami-Dade combined for 24 fouls in Thursday's matchup. The Indians' 24 fouls were the most committed by one team in any game in the tournament thus far.
Northwest Florida took advantage and converted on 19-of-35 free trips to the line. In contrast, Chipola went to the line 12 times and converted on seven.
Chipola outshot the Raiders 39.6 percent to 36.5 from the floor and held the advantage on the boards, 43-33. Turnovers were key in the game as Chipola was forced to deal with the Raiders' pressure. The Indians turned the ball over 22 times resulting in 17 points for Northwest Florida.
The Indians and Raiders exchanged the lead back and forth all night. With just under seven minutes remaining in the game, Jatarion Warren hit a three-point bucket to give Chipola a 49-47 lead and the Indians appeared poised to take control over the final minutes.
A turnover along with a missed layup and free throws on the next three possessions turned out to be costly as Northwest Florida went on a 10-4 run from there over the next five minutes.
Northwest Florida advances to the championship game where they will face another Panhandle team, Tallahassee, at 7:30 on Saturday night.
The NJCAA selection show will be live on the NJCAA network on Sunday night at 6 PM. The NJCAA Tournament begins March 20 and runs through March 25 in Hutchinson, Kansas.