Burns Leads Northwest Florida Past No. 11 Jones, 72-62

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — No. 5 Northwest Florida State men's basketball continued its strong run Friday evening, earning another top-25 victory with a 72-62 win over No. 11 Jones College on neutral ground in Panama City.

Justin Burns remained red-hot, leading the Raiders in scoring for the third straight game with 22 points on an efficient 11-of-15 shooting night. Burns also pulled down eight rebounds, pushing his season averages to 14.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 70.8 percent from the field. Damarion Vann-Kelly followed with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding four rebounds and two steals. Braylon Roman and Christian Reid each chipped in 10 points, with Roman also contributing eight rebounds and five assists.

While the Raiders struggled to find a rhythm from beyond the arc, they made up for it with dominance in the paint and at the free-throw line. Northwest Florida scored 50 points inside and converted 12-of-14 attempts from the stripe. The Raiders controlled the glass as well, finishing with a plus-12 rebounding advantage, including a plus-three edge on the offensive boards.

Bench production proved to be a decisive factor. Northwest Florida received 28 points from its reserves, while Jones College failed to get a single point from its bench.

The victory marked the Raiders' third ranked win of the season, improving their record to 3-1 against NJCAA Top-25 opponents. Northwest Florida now sits at 13-1 overall and has won four consecutive games.

The Raiders will remain in Panama City to close out the first half of the season, facing Southwest Mississippi on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Following a two-week break, Northwest Florida will return to Panama City for the New Year's Classic on December 30–31, before heading back to Raider Arena on January 3 to take on South Georgia Tech in the final non-conference matchup.