Commodores Advance in NJCAA Tournament

The Gulf Coast State Lady Commodores traveled to Casper, Wyoming to play as the #5 seed in the NJCAA national championship tournament. After a bye game, the team was matched up against the #12 seed, the College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles. The Commodores, who had not played in almost 2 weeks, looked rusty early in the first quarter and found themselves trailing by 4 points. The offense turned around, however when Santi Davy subbed in the game and scored 7 points in the quarter and gave the Commodores the lead. The second quarter remained close as Gulf Coast held on to their slim lead. The teams went into halftime with the score at 30-25 with Davy leading the way for Gulf Coast with 10 points. The Commodores took a double-digit lead in the third. The team was fired up after an impressive 4-point play by Alisha Murray. The Commodores rode their momentum to a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was intense as both teams fought to stay alive in the tournament. The Golden Eagles were able to cut the Commodore lead to 4, but a 6-0 run from Gulf Coast put the game away at 65-55. Santi Davy described the team’s mentality, saying, “I’m not going home. I’m not going to go all the way to Casper just to lose. We’re here to play and we’re here to win.” Team captain Aryelle Stevens finished the game with a double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Commodores advanced to the next round of the tournament as they continue on the road to a NJCAA national championship. They will face the #20 seed Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters on ESPN+ Friday at 5:30 central time.