Tallahassee (21-5) improved to 5-4 in Panhandle Conference play and moved within a half game of idle Chipola College (5-3) for second place in the league standings. Those two teams will meet in Marianna on Wednesday in a game that will go a long way in determining the PC's second postseason berth.
The Eagles scored the first six points of the game on Saturday and increased their lead to double-digits (13-3) less than six minutes in. Gulf Coast State got within five, 17-12, on Reggie Rivera's basket at the 9:35 mark but that's as close as they got the rest of the game.
Gulf Coast State outrebounded Tallahassee, 49-34, including 23-8 on the offensive glass, but those numbers were undermined by the Eagles' field goal defense, particularly in the first half.
On the Eagles' ensuing possession, Richard Washington was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws. Mustafa Lawrence then hit his sixth three-pointer of the night and Washington added another bucket to complete an 8-0 run and extend Tallahassee's lead back to 14 (61-47).
The Eagles' defensive effort aided the run, holding Gulf Coast State without a field goal for more than five minutes and limiting the Commodores to just 2-of-11 shooting over the final 8:51.