Northwest Florida Soars Past Southwest Mississippi, 97-78

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — No. 5 Northwest Florida State men's basketball added another win Saturday afternoon, earning a 97-78 win over Southwest Mississippi at the Gulf Coast Holiday Classic.

The Raiders offense was on fire, shooting 57.1% from the field with five players scoring in double digits. De'Erick Barber, Justin Burns and Damarion Vann-Kelly led the Raiders with 15 points each. Justin Burns led the Raiders for the second consecutive night, grabbing 13 rebounds. De'Erick barber helped the Raiders by tallying 8 assists in his first start of his career, along with shooting 71.4% from the floor on the night. Damarion Vann-Kelly continued to be a key contributor shooting 46% from the floor. Braylon Roman chipped in scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, going 2-3 from beyond the arc. Johnny Pierce and Wes Rubin contributed from inside the paint, Pierce finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Rubin finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Hassan Dorman also contributed off the bench scoring 8 points going 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

The Raiders started off hot, offensively going on a 11-0 run to start the game. The Raider defense was able to hold Southwest Mississippi scoreless until the 13:43 mark of the first half. The Raiders continued to dominate on both ends, with the lead growing to 21-5 at the under 12 media timeout. The Raiders finished the first half strong, being up 52-33, while shooting 56.3% from the field and holding Southwest Mississippi to just 34.5% from the field.  

In the second half Southwest Mississippi began to put runs together offensively, the Bears were able to come within 11 points multiple times in the half. The Raiders answered with a run of their own with just under 12 minutes to play to grow the lead back to 17. The Raiders offense continued to produce in the second half, shooting 58.1% from the field. The Raiders dominated offensively, outscoring the Bears 58-32 inside the paint, and 16-5 on second chance points.

The Raiders will return to Panama City on December 30-31 for the New Years Classic, where they will take on Polk State and Reid State. After the New Year the Raiders will return home on January 3 for their final non-conference matchup against South Georgia Tech.