Lady Indians hand #1 Raiders their first loss

A little over two weeks ago, playing on the road with a depleted roster, the Lady Indians fought hard against the number one team in the country but eventually lost by twenty points. On Saturday night at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center, Coach Greg Franklin's fully loaded team took down the defending National Champs, 52-50, in front of the home crowd for their eighteenth win of the season.

Chipola took an early 9-2 in the first quarter, but more importantly, the Raiders' leading scorer Last-Tear Poa, picked up two early fouls and was relegated to the bunch much of the first half. 

After the Raiders eventually cut the lead to two with 2:30 left to play in the quarter. Ashley Baez was fouled on the next possession and after making one of her two free throws, the Indians lead 12-9. The score would remain that wat at the end of the first, as neither team was able to score in the final two minutes of the period.

Once again the Lady Indians started the quarter shooting well as buckets by Baez and Shimei Muhammad pushed the Chipola back out to seven. 

With 1:07 remaining before halftime, the Raiders' Asjah Innes hit one of two free throws to cut the Chipola lead to 22-21. Following a Chipola timeout, Ta'Shonna Wright-Gaskins' jump shot gave her ten points in the half and her team a 24-21 advantage as the teams went to the locker room.

The third period started similar to the first two as the Lady Indians raced out to an eight-point lead following made free throws from Wright-Gaskins and the first of two three-points buckets made on the night by Baez. 

Under two minutes to play in the third and Chipola leading by three, Sabou Gueye drove down the lane and threw up a shot, knocking down Chipola defender, Baez. The official called Baez for the foul, saying she was inside the circle under the goal, although replays showed she was not. Gueye's shot went in and she missed the opportunity to the tie game when her free throw hit off the back iron into the hands of the Lady Indians' Shcira Fowles.

Chipola pushed the lead back out to as many as six in the final seconds of the third but the Raider's Noelani Cornfield's jumper with three seconds remaining, cut the lead to 37-33.

The fourth quarter started differently from the first three as it was Northwest Florida that started hot, scoring the first four points to tie the game, 37-37.

WIth 6:47 remaining in the game, a reverse layup from Northwest Florida's Ines Piper gave the Raiders their first lead of the game. On the play, Wright-Gaskins was called for her fifth foul, sending the Lady Indians' leading scorer at the time to the bench for the remainder of the game. Piper had two shots at the free throw due to a lane violation but missed both.

The Raiders managed to keep the lead or the score even over the next two minutes but with 4:35 remaining, Baez hit her second three-point basket of the night to put the Lady Indians up 46-43. 

After the Raiders cut the lead to one, Baez's scoop layup gave her 15 points and Chipola back the three-point lead. However, on the ensuing possession, Noelani Cornfield was tripped on her way to the basket and Ashley Baez was mistakenly called for the foul, her fifth. Cornfield missed both free throws and Chipola held onto a three-point lead with two minutes left to play.

On consecutive possessions for the Raiders, Last-Tear Poa, who was held to only one field goal on the night, was fouled and made all four free throws to give the Northwest a 49-48 lead with 39 seconds remaining.

With 30 seconds remaining, Jordan McLaughlin, Chipola's leading scorer on the season, hit her only field goal of the night but it was the one that gave Chipola the lead for good.  McLaughlin drove to the basket and was fouled but her running jumper was good for the 50-49 lead. McLaughlin missed the rebound but after the ball bounced through several players' hands, she came up with the rebound.

McLaughlin was fouled with 24.2 seconds remaining and this time she made both, giving the Lady Indians a 52-49 advantage. Poa was fouled with 2.2 seconds remaining and after making the first, purposefully missed the second with hopes of getting the rebound but Fowles secured the ball and the victory.

Ashley Baez finished the game with 15 points and Ta'Shonna Wright-Gaskins had 12 to lead the Lady Indians.

Chipola moves to 18-4 on the season and 3-3 in Panhandle Conference play. The Lady Indians will travel to Pensacola State on Wednesday at 5:30.