Raiders Rain Threes in Home Opener, Top South Georgia Tech 93–78

NICEVILLE, Fla. — No. 5 Northwest Florida State men's basketball made its 2026 home debut in style Saturday afternoon, rolling past South Georgia Tech 93–78 behind a barrage of three-pointers and another balanced offensive effort.

Damarion Vann-Kelly stole the spotlight, coming off the bench to deliver a shooting clinic from deep. The sophomore poured in a game-high 21 points, knocking down seven three-pointers on seven made field goals, including five in the first half to spark the Raiders' offense. He added two more triples after the break as Northwest Florida steadily pulled away.

Jonas Nichols continued his consistent play, finishing with 17 points to record his eighth double-figure scoring performance of the season. Nichols also chipped in four rebounds and four assists. Braylon Roman filled up the stat sheet once again, scoring 14 points while narrowly missing a triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists. Roman also set the tone defensively with three steals. Justin Burns rounded out the balanced attack, scoring 12 points despite a quiet first half to extend his double-digit scoring streak to seven games.

As a team, the Raiders were locked in offensively, shooting 56.5 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from three-point range (13-of-27), and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line (10-of-12). Northwest Florida's spacing and tempo proved decisive, as the Raiders tallied 17 fast-break points and converted 18 points off turnovers.

The rebounding battle finished even at 33 apiece, though South Georgia Tech held a slight edge on the offensive glass and capitalized for 11 second-chance points. Still, Northwest Florida's efficiency and perimeter shooting were too much to overcome.

First Half

The opening minutes were choppy, with turnovers on both sides as neither team could find rhythm. After trading empty possessions, the Raiders struck first when Jonas Nichols buried a three to open the scoring. South Georgia answered with a pair of triples to briefly grab momentum, but Northwest Florida responded with ball movement and second-chance efforts to stay within striking distance. A mid-half stretch saw the Jets edge ahead 18–13 following a transition basket, but that lead didn't last long.

Damarion Vann-Kelly sparked the Raiders off the bench, knocking down his first three-pointer to ignite a decisive run. Northwest Florida caught fire from deep, as Vann-Kelly hit four threes in the first half alone. Defensive stops and steals by Braylon Roman and Nichols fueled transition chances, turning defense into offense. A late Roman triple capped a strong closing stretch, giving the Raiders a 42–35 lead at the break after outscoring South Georgia Tech 18–11 over the final seven minutes.

Second Half

The second half opened with the Raiders attacking the paint and crashing the glass. Nichols and Johnny Pierce converted off offensive rebounds, while Marquez added a block on the defensive end to halt a Jets push. South Georgia Tech stayed within single digits midway through the half, cutting the margin to 52–52, but Northwest Florida answered immediately. Vann-Kelly drilled another three, and moments later William Rubin and Justin Burns threw down back-to-back dunks to reestablish control.

From there, the Raiders steadily pulled away. Roman orchestrated the offense, scoring or assisting on multiple possessions during a 12–4 run that pushed the lead to double figures. Defensive pressure forced late turnovers, and Northwest Florida capitalized with easy baskets in transition. Burns punctuated the night with two late dunks as the Raiders closed the game on a strong note, sealing the 15-point victory with efficiency, depth, and timely execution on both ends of the floor.

Up Next

With that, the Raiders have wrapped up their non-conference schedule and now look forward to a gauntlet of matchups over the next two months. They open Panhandle Play one week from today when they travel to No. 15 Tallahassee to take on the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. From there, the Raiders return home the following week on Jan. 17 to host No. 24 Pensacola for another 4:00 p.m. matchup. They then travel to No. 6 Gulf Coast on Jan. 21 before returning home to face No. 7 Chipola on Jan. 24 and No. 15 Tallahassee on Jan. 28.