No. 1 Northwest Florida State women’s basketball passed its first road test of the season Friday afternoon, defeating Hillsborough 71–61 behind another dominant outing from its core trio of Jadah White, Khoudia Diagne and Niylia Wilkins.
The three accounted for 52 of the Raiders’ 71 points (73%). White led the way with 21 points, adding seven assists and four rebounds in a complete performance. Diagne continued her standout stretch, posting her second straight double-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals. Wilkins rounded out the group with 14 points and four rebounds.
Despite the win, Northwest Florida didn’t put together its sharpest overall outing. The Raiders shot 43.1% from the field and just 29.2% from three—their lowest mark of the season. However, they countered that with their best free-throw shooting night, going 14-for-18 (77.8%) at the line.
The Raiders won the rebounding battle 36–28, including 15 offensive rebounds, which helped offset their 16 turnovers, still an improvement from their season average of 19.
FIRST HALF
Hillsborough opened the game with an and-one to take a 3–0 lead, but Diagne and Wilkins immediately answered with back-to-back scores to put the Raiders in front. Both teams traded baskets for much of the quarter until Northwest Florida found a small burst late, with White sinking two free throws and Diagne scoring in transition to make it 13–9. A late Hillsborough three closed the gap, but White responded with a put-back to give the Raiders a 17–12 lead after one.
White stayed hot to begin the second, knocking down a jumper before Carrington Jones chipped in a pair of free throws to push the lead to eight. Hillsborough clawed back to within three at 27–24, but the Raiders regained control behind scores from White and Diagne. In the final seconds of the half, Aurora Toyomasu drilled a wing three at the buzzer, sending Northwest Florida into the break, up 34–25.
SECOND HALF
Hillsborough opened the third quarter on an 8–2 run, quickly cutting the lead to 36–33. Diagne steadied the Raiders with two strong inside finishes, but turnovers prevented Northwest Florida from stretching the margin comfortably. With 3:55 left, the Raiders held a slim 44–40 advantage.
From there, the offense erupted. White buried a three, followed by a Wilkins layup and another three, giving the Raiders their largest lead of the game at 52–40. They carried that momentum into the fourth with a 56–44 edge.
White opened the final period with yet another three, and though Hillsborough answered, the Raiders maintained control. After a brief scoring drought, Wilkins converted inside to push the lead back to 63–50. White struck again from deep to make it 66–53, and when Hillsborough hit a late three, Toyomasu responded immediately with one of her own—effectively sealing the game.
Northwest Florida closed out the afternoon with a 71–61 victory, improving to 5–0 and continuing its strong early-season form.
UP NEXT
Northwest Florida is back again tomorrow in Fort Myers as the Raiders get set to face their toughest competition yet, taking on No. 18 Florida SouthWestern. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (CST) and will be livestreamed on the FSW website.
