BRADENTON, Fla. - Polk State Basketball responded to midseason adversity on Sunday afternoon with an impressive 83-76 win over Indian River State College — a team the Eagles had fallen to by 43 points this past week.

The Eagles (5-8) featured four double-digit scorers and blocked an astounding 14 shots as a defensive unit to hand the Pioneers (11-3) their second straight loss.

"I am extremely proud of this group of young men for pulling through adversity and getting a great win for the program as well as a boost in confidence," said Polk State Head Coach Brandon Giles.

Polk started the game with extreme confidence, opening on a 6-0 run before taking an 11-4 lead with 14:46 to go in the first half, thanks to field goals made by four different Eagles.

The Pioneers then executed a 19-5 run of their own to grow a 23-16 lead over the Eagles with 9:48 remaining before halftime. Polk took advantage of a 7-0 run to end the half which bridged the gap to 40-38 at the intermission.

Polk received fantastic second-half efforts from the sophomore guard duo of George Pridgett and Rod Jones. Pridgett scored 12 points while Jones deposited 13 in the second half, as the duo tied for the team scoring lead with 16 points apiece.

"I told them both (Pridgett/Jones) at halftime that others are contributing on the offensive end," added Giles. "We need both of you to step up and contribute."

Trailing 57-45 with 12:36 to go, the Eagles rattled off a 9-0 run with Jones accounting for six points. By the midway point of the half, the deficit was down to three.

Polk kept Indian River within striking distance until Jones' layup with 4:17 to go put the Eagles ahead 68-66. Jones gave Polk State its first lead since about the 13-minute mark in the first half. A three-pointer from Pridgett with 3:05 left grew the Eagles' advantage to 71-66. Polk would go on to close out the game at the free throw line.

Pridgett also had a team-high five assists and four steals to round out his stat line. Jones had four helpers of his own.

Sophomore guard Jaelin Simpson made four field goals and was 6-for-6 at the free throw line to finish with 15 points as well as four assists. Sophomore forward Ashton Howard was the other Eagle in double digits, scoring 10 points and hauling in a team-best eight rebounds to go along with three blocks.

Two other Polk big men had noteworthy performances on the interior. Sophomore center AJ Hamrick stuffed five shots while freshman forward Jeremiah Russell had four blocks.

The Eagles host Florida SouthWestern State College on Thursday at the Health Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.