IRSC Men’s Basketball Conclude Successful Season

Niceville, Florida – The Indian River State College (IRSC) Men's Basketball Team's season came to an end on Wednesday evening when they were defeated by Eastern Florida State College, 68-56, at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VIII Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Pioneers held a slight lead 14-13 with 10:22 to go in the first half when Linton Brown pulled in an offensive rebound and converted it for two points.  The IRSC's lead increased to eight, 23-15, when Tanahj Pettway hit a deep three-point shot with seven minutes remaining in the half.  IRSC went into the half with a 32-29 advantage.

The Pioneers scored first to start the second half when Antrell Charlton scored on a nice alley-oop play making the score 34-29.  The score stayed close until Eastern Florida went on a 13-0 run and held a 47-39 lead with 12:07 on the clock.  IRSC continued to battle, but were never able to regain the lead as Eastern Florida finished the game with a 68-56 victory.  Poor shooting was the downfall for the Pioneers as they shot a dismal 25% from three-point range, 39.6% over field goal, and 36.8 from the free-throw line, some of their lowest percentages for the season.

The Pioneers were led in scoring by their two freshmen point guards, Pettway scored 16 points and A.J. Cajuste added 15.  Miles Coleman, Player of the Year in the Southern Conference, also scored 13 points for IRSC. 

Even though the game didn't turn out as the Pioneers would have liked they finished the season with 22 wins, and a Southern Conference Championship, their third in three years.  This was their third 20-win season in a row and third consecutive trip the NJCAA Region VIII Men's Basketball Tournament.  "I'm really proud of the accomplishments of this team, they had an outstanding season," stated IRSC Head Coach Charlie Wilson.