Lady Pirates Bounce Back Against Gulf Coast

The third time was the charm for Pensacola State as they finally captured an elusive win over the Commodores of Gulf Coast State. In yet another battle of NJCAA Top 25 teams, the no. 14 Pirates were able to edge the no. 2 Commodores 50-48.

In the opening period, both teams struggled to find any rhythm on offense and combined for 13 turnovers. After 10 minutes of play, Gulf Coast (22-3, 7-2) held on to an 11-8 lead over Pensacola State (20-6, 4-5).

While the offensive efficiency was absent, the Pirate defense was stellar in the contest and held the Commodores, averaging 81.4 points a game, to just seven points in the second stanza. The Pirates would manage 14 points of their own in the period to take a 22-18 lead at the halftime break.

After a 16-10 third quarter that favored the Commodores, the fourth would begin with the Pirates trailing 34-32. Tanita Swift scored the Pirates final three points including the go-ahead basket to give PSC a 50-48 advantage with 35.5 seconds remaining. With just 1.2 seconds remaining, Gulf Coast's Alieghya Bartholomew was fouled giving the Pirates their fifth team foul of the period, consequently, putting Gulf Coast in the bonus. Bartholomew's first free-attempt was unsuccessful and the Commodore's were called for a violation on a subsequent intentional miss and putback attempt.

Swift led the PSC with 19 points including a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Jaida McDonald added a 12-point, 14 board double-double to give the Pirates a much-needed boost.

Bartholomew was the only Commodore to record double figures with her game high 22-point performance.

The Pirates travel to Marianna, Florida on Wednesday to challenge Chipola College for the third and final playoff spot from the Panhandle Conference. Pensacola State is currently one game behind Chipola in the Panhandle standings.