NICEVILLE, Fla. — No. 2 Northwest Florida men’s basketball delivered another explosive offensive performance Tuesday night in Pensacola, powering past Wallace State-Hanceville 100–82 as six Raiders scored in double figures.
Justin Burns led the way with a dominant double-double, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds—his second of the season. Jonas Nichols followed with 16 points, while DJ Shine added 14. Braylon Roman (13), Christian Reid (12), and Domarion Vann-Kelley (11) rounded out the balanced scoring effort.
The Raiders shot an impressive 52.7% (39–74) from the field, 35.7% (5–14) from beyond the arc, and 65.4% (17–26) at the line. Despite being outrebounded 42–35, Northwest Florida controlled the game wire to wire thanks to its aggressive defense, forcing 22 turnovers and collecting 13 steals.
The victory moves the Raiders to 9–0 on the season as they head into day three of the Pensacola Thanksgiving Classic, where they’ll look to complete the sweep against No. 7 Trinity Valley.
First Half
Northwest Florida came out sharp, attacking the rim early to build a 10–5 lead in the opening four minutes. Back-to-back scores from the Lions closed the gap, but Jonas Nichols answered with a corner three to push the advantage to 15–10.
Wes Rubin added a smooth pick-and-roll finish off a feed from DJ Shine, making it 18–12 out of the under-12 media timeout. The Raiders then turned defense into offense, stringing together a series of fast-break opportunities to stretch the lead to 25–12 with 10:35 remaining.
A cold stretch of more than three minutes allowed the Lions to claw back within 25–21, but Braylon Roman snapped the drought with a mid-range jumper. The Lions responded with a three to make it a three-point game before the Raiders regained momentum.
Braylon Roman set up Justin Burns for a transition finish to make it 29–24, but a technical foul on Christian Reid moments later allowed the Lions to trim it to 31–28. From there, the Raiders erupted on a dominant 17–2 run fueled by turnovers and missed Lion shots, powering a wave of transition buckets to take full control.
Northwest Florida entered halftime leading 48–36.
Second Half
The second half opened with both teams trading baskets, but the Raiders maintained their cushion, holding a 61–49 lead through the first five minutes. A quick five points from the Lions cut the margin to single digits, but Reid steadied NWF with two free throws and a putback dunk to push the lead back to 67–54.
Moments later, Roman poked a ball loose in transition and sent it ahead to Burns for a two-handed slam, making it 69–57. The Raider defense continued to fuel the offense, with Burns finishing another fast-break layup to stretch the lead to 14.
The Lions managed to trim the deficit to eight with a pair of quick layups, but Roman responded by knocking down two free throws to restore a double-digit margin. A defensive stop followed by a score made it 78–65, and Shine buried a pull-up three from the top of the key to give the Raiders an 82–67 lead with 6:22 remaining.
The Lions made a late push with an 8–0 run to cut the lead to 12, but Reid halted the momentum with an and-one finish, knocking down the free throw to extend the advantage to 90–75.
Northwest Florida controlled the closing minutes and finished strong, securing a 100–82 victory.
Up Next
The Raiders will be back in Pensacola tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. for their final game of this holiday classic, taking on No. 7 Trinity Valley for another high-stakes showdown.
