Eagles Move Into First Place With St. Petersburg Victory

The eighth-ranked Polk State College men's basketball team moved into first place in the Suncoast Conference Wednesday with a defensive 48-39 victory over St. Petersburg at home at the Winter Haven Health Center.

The Eagles' victory, coupled with a State College of Florida loss to Hillsborough Wednesday, puts the Eagles (19-7) in first place in the conference with a 4-1 mark while the Manatees fall into second with a 3-2 record.

The two teams meet Saturday in Sarasota at 4 p.m.

The fourth-ranked Manatees (20-6) lead the country in scoring, averaging 100.2 points per game.

Wednesday Eagle Bernard Samuel (Charleston, S.C.) led all scorers with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Point guard Ralph Simmons  (Charleston, S.C.) added 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Center Ismaila Dauda (Nigeria) tallied 13 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Emmanuel Tiluscar led the Titans with 14 points and eight rebounds.

"They are going to be tough to beat," said Polk State College coach Matt Furjanic. "Their record (20-6) shows it. They play a different style than we do."

Polk is holding their opponents to 65.9 points per game.