NICEVILLE, Fla. – The preseason No. 1 in the World Exposure and No. 5 in the NJCAA Northwest Florida women’s basketball team opened the 2019-20 season in style with an 86-63 rout of No. 14/20 Wabash Valley on Saturday in Raider Arena.
Freshman Masengo Mutanda who is ranked No. 11 in the World Exposure Report composite ranking for junior college turned in a spectacular debut going 10-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range to lead all scorers with 25 points.
Northwest Florida (1-0) allowed an uncontested layup on the game’s opening possession but took full control of the game from there scoring the next 14 points en route to a 54-24 lead at halftime.
The Raiders’ defense created scoring opportunities all game forcing 20 turnovers which led to 33 points.
“Defense has been our staple since I’ve been here,” head coach Bart Walker said. “We created a lot of easy shots off our defense. We created tempo, we created good number situations. We’re going to try and keep building on that. Offensively, we had an advantage in the post and really tried to work inside out and make easy shots under the basket.”
Northwest Florida led by as many as 35 points in the game and claimed a win in the season opener for the fifth consecutive year.
Wabash Valley (1-1) shot under 30 percent in the first half but finished at 41.3 percent (19-46) from the floor. NWF converted at a 56.9 percent (33-58) clip, including shooting 81.8 percent in the middle quarters.
The Raiders travel to Tyler, Texas to face No. 13/ 10 Tyler and No. 16/15 Angelina on Nov. 8 and 9, respectively.
For more information on Northwest Florida women’s basketball, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow us on Twitter at @NWF_Raiders.
(Credit: NWF Athletics)
(Oct. 2, 2019)
1. Northwest Florida State
2. Gulf Coast
3. South Plains
4. Trinity Valley
5. New Mexico
6. Grayson
7. Chipola
8. Jones County
9. South Georgia Tech
10. Odessa
11. Iowa Western
12. Wabash Valley
13. Tyler
14. Shelton State
15. Seward County
16. Angelina
17. Salt Lake
18. Collin College
19. Butler
20. Florida Southwestern
21. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
22. Western Nebraska
23. Cochise
24. Walters State
25. Central Arizona
NJCAA Preseason Ranking
(Oct. 21, 2019)
1. Gulf Coast
2. South Plains
3. Trinity Valley
4. New Mexico
5. Northwest Florida State
6. Seward County
7. Shelton State
8. Florida Southwestern
9. Hutchinson
10. Tyler
11. Central Arizona
12. Jones County
13. Southern Idaho
14. Midland
15. Salt Lake
16. Walters State
17. Western Nebraska
18. Butler
19. Three Rivers
20. Wabash Valley
21. Georgia Highlands
22. Chipola
23. Northern Oklahoma Enid
24. Wallace-Selma
25. Angelina
Video: Full Game
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