IRSC Men Secure A Spot In The NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament

Fort Pierce, Florida – In a tough Southern Conference match-up, the Indian River State College (IRSC) Men's Basketball Team defeated State College of Florida, Sarasota/Manatee by a score of 87-73.  With the win the #22 ranked Pioneers are heading back to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 8 state tournament for the fourth consecutive year.  The tournament will be held on the campus of Northwest Florida State in Niceville, Florida, the week of April 7th-10^th and the seeding will be completed at the end of the regular season.  

Abdoulaye Thiam hit a three-point shot from the right corner with just under 15 minutes to go in the first half, giving IRSC the early 14-2 lead.  The Pioneers did a solid job on defense and closed out the first half with a ten-point lead, 43-33.  "I thought our team defense in the first half was as good as it's been all year", stated IRSC Head Coach Charlie Wilson. 

The scoring margin jumped to 16 points when Antrell Charlton scored on a lob pass from A.J. Cajuste making the score 69-53 with nine minutes remaining in the game.  Thiam connected on another three-pointer, ballooning the lead to 21, 81-60 with under five minutes on the clock.  Manatee made a couple of more runs in the game, but IRSC answered every time and went on to an 87-73 victory. 

The win increased their over-all record to 14-2 and 8-2 in the Southern Conference.  Thiam led all scorers in the game with 25 points, followed by Cajuste 16, Tanahj Pettway 12, and Charlton with 10 points.  Charlton also pulled in 14 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. 

The Pioneers will travel to Fort Meyers, Florida, on Wednesday March 24^th to take on Florida Southwestern State College.  The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m