DAYTONA, Fla. — No. 6 Northwest Florida State men’s basketball closed out its weekend in Daytona with an 81–72 win over Hillsborough on Saturday, pushing the Raiders to a perfect 6–0 start.
DJ Shine delivered another standout performance, leading all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Jonas Nichols turned in one of his most efficient outings of the season, posting 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, knocking down three triples while adding five rebounds and three assists. Justin Burns also continued his strong play, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks.
As a team, Northwest Florida shot 50.8% from the field (32–63) and 47.6% from three (10–21). The Raiders were outrebounded for the first time this year, 42–34, but countered with a season-low nine turnovers and held Hillsborough to just 38.4% shooting and 26.1% from three.
FIRST HALF
Hillsborough opened the game on an 8–0 run as the Raiders struggled through early misses and turnovers. Shine halted the momentum with an and-one conversion, then followed it with a fast-break three to quickly cut the deficit to 8–6. Domarion Vann-Kelly and Burns added back-to-back buckets, trimming the gap to two with 12:31 left.
Shine then pushed the Raiders ahead for the first time, sinking a jumper and a three on consecutive possessions to make it 17–14. Nichols and Wes Rubin added to the surge with two straight scores before the Hawks answered with a pair of their own.
Braylon Roman drilled a three to stretch the lead to eight at the 6:20 mark. The teams traded baskets until Hillsborough hit a three with under three minutes remaining, moving within 30–27. The Hawks tied the game late in the half, but Burns converted inside with less than 20 seconds left, sending NWF into the break up 34–32.
SECOND HALF
Northwest Florida opened the second half the same way it ended the first—thanks to Burns. Vann-Kelly added a jumper, and Roman knocked down a three to extend the lead to 41–35. Moments later, Shine caught fire again, drilling a jumper and a three to build a 46–37 advantage.
Hillsborough clawed back with free throws and a layup to cut the deficit to five, then trimmed it to two with under 12 minutes to play. Nichols answered with a three, though the Hawks immediately countered with one of their own.
With 7:12 remaining, Hillsborough hit another three to make it 58–54, but Nichols responded right away—only for the Hawks to match it again. Roman buried a key three in the closing minutes to push the lead to 72–66, and Nichols followed with a layup and another deep ball to stretch the margin to double digits with just over two minutes left.
Northwest Florida controlled the remainder of the game, closing out an 81–72 victory to remain unbeaten.
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to the road Thursday, Nov. 20, for a matchup in Wadley, Ala., against Southern Union—a team NWF defeated 104–85 at home on Oct. 31. After the weekend off, the Raiders head to the Pensacola Thanksgiving Classic, where they will face a strong slate: No. 20 Panola (Nov. 24), RV Wallace-Hanceville (Nov. 25), No. 1 Trinity Valley (Nov. 26)
