Tallahassee Community College men's basketball advances to NJCAA Region VIII semifinals
NICEVILLE, FL – Tallahassee Community College Men’s Basketball defeated Florida SouthWestern State 75-69 on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII Tournament. The Eagles advance to the semifinals, where they will play the No. 7 seed, Eastern Florida State at 7:00 PM EST on Friday in Niceville.
“I’m really proud of our guys tonight,” head coach Rick Cabrera said. “We weren’t happy with where we were seeded in this tournament, but at the end of the day we can’t control that. We can only control how we play, and tonight we did enough to advance in this tournament.”
Guard Malachi Davis led the team with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting and added five rebounds and six assists. Guard Addison Patterson added 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Guard Damoni Harrison had a great night shooting, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He finished with 15 points.
The Eagles are flying to Round 2🦅 pic.twitter.com/5nHyKhXFSj
— Region 8 Basketball (@Region8Tourney) March 9, 2023
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TCC kept Florida SouthWestern from scoring for the first 4:32 of the game. After an early lead, the Buccaneers tied the game at 16, but TCC went on an 8-0 run immediately after and kept the lead for the remainder of the game.
TCC shot 55.6% from the field and held FSW to just 36.8%.
The Eagles had an explosive second half offensively, shooting 63% from the field. Malachi Davis scored 14 of his 23 points after the break and helped TCC maintain their lead in the second half after Florida SouthWestern also found some offensive rhythm.
Earlier this season, TCC beat Eastern Florida State 90-69 at the Florida College’s Men’s Basketball Shootout. Malachi Davis scored 26 points off the bench in that game, shooting 10-for-16 from the field.
Tomorrow’s game against Eastern Florida State will tip off at 7:00 PM EST, with the winner advancing to the championship game on Saturday evening at 8:30 PM EST.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TCC MBB: Eagles beat Florida SouthWestern, goes to Region 8 semifinals
