NICEVILLE, Fla. — The No. 7 Northwest Florida State Raiders put on an offensive showcase in their season opener, defeating Southern Union 104-85 Friday night at Raider Arena to start the year 1-0.
It was a statement debut for DJ Shine, who lived up to his name and then some — leading all scorers with 32 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Shine also added five assists and a steal in a commanding all-around performance.
The Raiders’ offense was in rhythm from start to finish, using elite efficiency and tempo to overwhelm Southern Union. As a team, Northwest Florida shot 61.9% from the floor, earned 33 trips to the line (making 21), and turned defense into offense with 29 fast-break points. On the boards, the Raiders were relentless, finishing with a plus 15-rebounding margin (44-29).
Shine may have been the star of the night, but he wasn’t alone in lighting up the scoreboard. Justin Burns (15 points, 15 rebounds) posted a double-double in his Raider debut, showing toughness and energy inside. Braylon Roman (14 points) and Christian Ried (12 points) also contributed double-digit scoring efforts to round out a balanced offensive attack.
First Half
The Raiders wasted no time getting on the board as Damarion Vann-Kelly drained a three-pointer on the opening possession. Southern Union quickly answered with a three and a jumper from Johnson to take an early lead, but Northwest Florida responded in emphatic fashion. An 11-0 run between the 16:12 and 13:53 marks gave the Raiders a double-digit cushion.
Christian Ried powered his way to back-to-back layups to push the lead to 13 before the Bison fought back with a 7-0 run of their own. The game’s tempo slowed as both teams traded fouls near the midway point, but the Raiders continued to hold firm, leading by nine with five minutes remaining in the half.
DJ Shine—who led all Raiders in scoring—buried his second three-pointer of the night at the 5:52 mark to stretch the lead to 34-22. Braylon Roman added a triple of his own soon after, extending the lead to 17. However, Southern Union closed the half strong, using a 13-2 run to trim the deficit to 43-35 at the break.
Second Half
The Bison came out firing to start the second half, knocking down two quick buckets before the Raiders countered with an 11-0 run to reestablish control. Northwest Florida maintained a double-digit lead for much of the period, but Southern Union refused to go away quietly.
The Bison’s Johnson caught fire from beyond the arc, finishing with a game-high 33 points, while Dennis added 25 to keep the Raiders honest. Still, the balanced attack from Northwest Florida proved too much.
With 9:37 remaining, Shine converted a second-chance layup to spark another surge, pushing the Raider lead back to double digits. From there, the home team never looked back—outscoring Southern Union 34-26 down the stretch to seal a comfortable season-opening victory.
Up Next
The Raiders return to action Saturday at 5:30 p.m. when they face Baton Rouge to close out the Raider Classic. Earlier in the day, Gulf Coast women’s basketball will take on Volunteer State at 1:00 p.m., followed by Southern Union and East Mississippi at 3:00 p.m.
