Gulf Coast teams back in action
The News Herald
The Gulf Coast women's and men's basketball teams will be back in action this weekend, with the Lady Commodores playing two games in Niceville and the GC men on the road for two in Barnesville, Ga.
The Lady Commodores, ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in the state, won their regular season opener 70-51 over Daytona State College on Nov. 2 at Northwest Florida State College. Freshman guard Brittany Davis was outstanding in her college debut with 23 points on 8 of 19 shooting from the field and 5 of 13 from the 3-point line. Fellow freshman Naomi Mbandu added 17 points and made 5 of 7 from long distance.
They'll next face a Vincennes team Friday that brings in a 3-0 record with lopsided wins over Olive-Harvey, Indiana Tech, and Lindsey Wilson. The two teams faced off early last season in the Billy Harrison Field House and Gulf Coast needed overtime to pull out an 84-81 victory.
The Trailblazers have topped 100 points in all three games this season and have six players averaging double figures scoring led by Jaynice Stovall at 15 points per game. Gulf Coast will also play Saturday against Palm Beach State, which is 1-1 this season with a loss to Eastern Florida State and a win over Florida State College of Jacksonville.
Gulf Coast's men lost their season opener in Pensacola 91-78 to Coastal Alabama-Bay Minette on Nov. 2 but bounced back the following day to defeat Action Sports Academy 104-50. Through two games, sophomore guard Daniel Kiely is leading the Commodores in scoring and assists with 19 points and six assists per game. Freshman guard Cameron Holden is also putting in 17.5 points per contest while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.
The Commodores will face Southern Crescent Tech (2-1) on Friday before playing host team Gordon State on Saturday. The Highlanders are 2-0 this season with wins over Cleveland State and Roane State. They're led by sophomore guard Oronte' Anderson, who is averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 assists while making 12 of 17 shots from the field, 5 of 11 from three, and 12 of 12 from the foul line.