Late Run Pushes Northwest Florida Past No. 13 Gulf Coast

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Conference wins are never easy, especially when Gulf Coast State comes to town, and Wednesday night proved no different. The Raiders and Commodores once again delivered an entertaining, hard-fought battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

No. 3 Northwest Florida State women's basketball continued its winning ways, edging No. 13 Gulf Coast in another tightly contested conference showdown. The Raiders spent much of the night playing from behind, holding the lead for fewer than five minutes total, but never lost composure as the game remained within reach.

As they have so often under head coach Bart Walker, the Raiders saved their best for last. Northwest Florida used a decisive 8–0 run in the fourth quarter to grab the lead, flipping the momentum at the perfect time. From there, the Raiders closed the door, executing down the stretch to secure their fourth consecutive victory and another statement win over a familiar rival.

The opening quarter set the tone, with both teams struggling to find offensive rhythm. Gulf Coast held Northwest Florida scoreless for long stretches and closed the first period on a late bucket to take a 12–5 lead. The Raiders began to settle in during the second quarter behind steady play from Jadah White, who knocked down a pair of three-pointers and helped spark a 15–14 period for Northwest Florida. Despite the surge, Gulf Coast carried a slim 26–22 advantage into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the game remained tight. Northwest Florida chipped away early in the third quarter with inside baskets from Ka'Zahria Johnson and Khoudia Diagne, but Gulf Coast responded behind Francisco De Oliveira, who scored at all three levels to keep the Commodores in front. A late White layup trimmed the deficit to 38–31 heading into the fourth.

The Raiders' defense took over in the final period. Northwest Florida opened the quarter with timely shooting and strong ball movement, highlighted by a White three and a Kayla Williams jumper that cut the margin to one. Diagne gave the Raiders their first lead of the half with a layup midway through the quarter, and moments later buried a clutch three-pointer to push Northwest Florida ahead 45–43.

Down the stretch, the Raiders made key defensive stops and capitalized at the free-throw line. Diagne and Aurora Toyomasu combined for critical points in the final minute, while Northwest Florida forced multiple missed shots to seal the win. Gulf Coast had a chance late, but a final three-point attempt fell short as the Raiders closed out the five-point victory.

White and Diagne led the Raiders in scoring tonight. White notched 16 points, on 5-for-13 shooting, including three makes form deep. Diagne produced another signature performance, tallying 15 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a block

This game was not pretty offensively, with both squads' barley shooting over the 30.0 percent mark for the game, missing a combined 80 shot attempts. This game came down to whoever got the most possessions at the end, which the Raiders did, only committing five second half turnovers, to the Commodores ten. This ultimately led to nine points for the Raiders. They also scored ten points in transition—double the amount of Gulf Coast.

The second round of conference play is in the books, and Northwest Florida women's basketball couldn't have scripted it any better. The Raiders went a perfect 4–0 over the past two weeks, improving their Panhandle Conference record to 6–2 and moving into a tie for first place with Chipola following the Indians' loss to Tallahassee State on Wednesday.

Northwest Florida returns to the road Saturday for one final regular-season meeting with Tallahassee State. The Eagles come in riding momentum after an overtime victory over No. 4 Chipola, while the Raiders will look to take the season series, maintain their place atop the standings, and secure a postseason berth for the ninth consecutive year.