Lady Pirates Fall in Panhandle Opener

No. 20 Pensacola State (15-4, 0-1) suffered a tough defeat to No. 11 Chipola College (19-0, 1-0) in their Panhandle Conference opener. The Lady Pirates held the Indians 22 points below their scoring average of 87 per game but struggled to generate enough offense, falling 65-56.

Despite a slow scoring night, PSC held a 27-21 advantage at halftime. The Indians came out strong after intermission with an 11-0 run to claim a 32-27 lead midway through the third quarter and outscored the Lady Pirates 27-13 in the period. Trailing 48-40 to begin the fourth, Pensacola managed to get within 56-61 with just over a minute remaining. However, they missed a crucial shot attempt by Audreonia Benson with 58 seconds left. Chipola then extended the lead to 63-56 with an uncontested fast break, sealing the game.

Talia Kemp led PSC in scoring with 17 points, while Jaida McDonald added 15 points and nine rebounds. Kanija Daniel led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, and Daniaya McDonald contributed 15 for the Indians.