PENSACOLA, Fla. — No. 2 Northwest Florida State men’s basketball delivered another gritty performance on Monday, overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit to knock off No. 25 Panola, 73–70, in the opening game of the Pensacola Thanksgiving Classic. This marks the third time this season the Raiders have overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half — 11-point deficit against Monroe and a 10-point deficit against No. 3 Daytona.
The Raiders caught fire after the break, using a dominant second-half offensive surge to flip the momentum and close out their seventh straight win.
DJ Shine once again proved to be the difference-maker, erupting for a game-high 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including a blistering 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also went 7-of-10 at the free-throw line to help seal the comeback.
Braylon Roman continued his steady production with 16 points and five assists, showcasing his ability to both score and facilitate. Justin Burns anchored the interior with a strong two-way outing, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Defensively, Northwest Florida protected the rim with authority—five different Raiders recorded blocks, combining for seven total. Jeiminson Marquez led the group with three.
As a team, the Raiders shot 45.5% (22–55) from the field, 40.0% (6–15) from three, and 63.0% (17–27) at the stripe.
First Half
Northwest Florida opened strong, with DJ Shine knocking down a corner three to start the scoring. Wes Rubin followed with an and-one conversion to make it 7–6, and Shine later finished through contact to give the Raiders an 11–9 lead at the 16:40 mark.
Panola broke a back-and-forth stretch with a brief run, stringing together six straight points to go up 19–13 with 14 minutes left. The Raiders’ offense cooled briefly, but Domarion Vann-Kelley and Braylon Roman provided a spark with back-to-back scores inside to trim the gap to three.
Panola answered with multiple big threes, including one to push the lead to 27–21 and another under the seven-minute mark that extended it to 12. Roman stopped the bleeding with a jumper, and Shine followed with a drive to cut it back to eight. Roman then converted a fast-break and-one to make it a five-point game.
But the Ponies closed the half strong, drilling back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 43–32 before taking a 45–32 advantage into the break.
Second Half
Roman opened the second half the same way he closed the first—finishing an and-one to cut into the deficit. A pair of Raider makes trimmed Panola’s lead to eight, and shortly after, Johnny Pierce converted an and-one to make it 49–44. A free throw brought it to 49–45 before Justin Burns completed yet another and-one, pulling NWF within one at 49–48.
The Raiders kept attacking the rim. Roman scored through contact again to make it 51–50, and moments later, a Raider three gave NWF the lead. A block from De’Eric Barber led to a fast-break dish to Christian Reid, pushing the advantage to 59–55. A defensive stop and another score extended it to 61–55, but Panola responded with a timely three.
DJ Shine answered right back with one of his own to restore the six-point cushion. Panola continued to push, cutting the lead to one with five minutes left, but Shine drilled a deep three at the end of the shot clock to make it 69–65.
The Ponies again pulled within one with 2:57 remaining, but the Raiders scored on the other end to go back up three. With just over 30 seconds left, Panola made it 71–70, sending Burns to the line after being fouled on the inbound. He calmly sank both to make it 73–70.
Needing a three with 6.7 seconds remaining, Panola got the ball in play, but Roman and Burns smothered the shooter on the perimeter, forcing a miss and sealing the Raiders’ 73–70 victory.
Coming Up
The Raiders are back in Pensacola Tuesday and Wednesday for two more tough matchups. Tomorrow they will take on Wallace State-Hanceville at 12:00 p.m. followed by another top 10 showdown Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. against No. 7 Trinity Valley.
