Game Preview: Another top 25 matchup for the Lady Indians in Panahandle Home Opener

MARIANNA, Fla. – The 25^th ranked Chipola Lady Indians will look to even up their Panhandle Conference record on Wednesday night at home when they face #11 Pensacola State at 5:30 PM. Tickets for the game, which would also include the men's game to follow, can be purchased at the door for $5.

After falling in the conference opener on Saturday at #1 Northwest Florida, the Lady Indians (16-3; 0-1 PC) will be facing their second consecutive ranked opponent when Coach Penny Belford brings the 16-2 Lady Pirates to the Milton H. Johnson Center in Marianna. Pensacola also fell on Saturday to go to 0-1 in conference play after losing at home to Gulf Coast State College, 84-60.

Pensacola's only losses on the season have both been to ranked opponents. Prior to the loss to the #3 Lady Commodores, #17 Shelton State avenged an earlier defeat to the Lady Pirates with a 76-69 win at Americus, Georgia in late December. Pensacola defeated then tenth-ranked Shelton, 58-52, in the Visit Jackson County Tournament at Chipola on November 10.

With a limited roster, the Lady Pirates rely heavily on their starting five which is led by sophomores Gabriela Bendeck-Giron and Tanita Swift. Only a tenth of a point separates the two guards with Bendeck-Giron edging out Swift with 16.8 points per game.

Chipola is led by the player with the most points this season in the FCSAA and the #4 point-getter in all of NJCAA Division One Women's Basketball, sophomore Tahnyjia Purifoy. Purifoy, a Pensacola native, averages 18.3 points per game and has made 31 consecutive starts for the Lady Indians.

Chipola head coach John Marcum will also be looking to get production from another guard, freshman Victoria Morales. On Saturday at Raider Arena, Morales connected on five shots from three-point range and led all scorers with 18 points.

Sophomore Zaaliyah Kailahi-Fulu leads Chipola in rebounding with 8.2 per game. The New Zealand native hauled in 13 boards, tying a season high, against the Raiders on Saturday. She will matchup with the Lady Pirates' Jaida McDonald, a sophomore reigning in 10.3 rebounds per game which is the third highest average in the FCSAA.

Games Notes

• After falling in the first game of the three-game series last season, Chipola won the last two including a thrilling 64-61 win on the Lady Pirates' home floor in their final meeting. The win gave Chipola the edge for third place in the conference and helped gain a spot in the 2022-2023 FCSAA/Region VIII State Tournament.
• Neither team has lost in the Milton H. Johnson Center this season. The Lady Indians are 5-0 on their home floor and the Lady Pirates went 2-0 in the Visit Jackson County Tournament hosted by the Tourist Development Council on November 10-11.
• Pensacola has gotten the best of the Lady Indians in the first game of the season each of the last two years. Last year, the Lady Pirates won at home 59-53 and, in the 2021-22 season, Chipola fell on their home floor, 59-50.

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