Box Score TAMPA, Fla. - Polk State Basketball battled Hillsborough Community College tightly on the road Wednesday night. However, a second half surge by the Hawks caused the Eagles to fall 87-79 for their fifth straight loss. 

The Eagles (4-7) kept pace with the Hawks (11-1) and led at multiple points in the first half before taking a 41-41 tie into halftime. 

Polk sophomore guard Rod Jones had by far his most impressive performance since debuting for the Eagles last Friday. Jones sunk two three-pointers in the first half to help him deposit 12 of his 18 points before the intermission.

A 10-4 HCC run out of the locker room quickly put the Hawks up 54-44 with 15:18 to go.

The Eagles battled back with a 7-0 run later in the half capped by a layup by freshman guard Dominick Nelson that trimmed the lead to 58-55 with 9:55 remaining. However, the three-point deficit was as close as Polk would get in the second half. 

"That was a great competitive team effort by HCC," commented Polk Head Coach Brandon Giles. "We have to get back to sitting down and guarding the ball better than we are right now."

Nelson finished with a team-high 19 points, 11 of which came in the second half. This marked the Miami native's fifth game of the season with 15 or more points scored.

Also in double digits for the Eagles were sophomores Alex Vertus with 14 points and AJ Hamrick with 11. Both totals were season-highs for Vertus and Hamrick, respectively. 

Up next, Polk heads to Melbourne this weekend for the NJCAA Region 8 Shootout. The Eagles will first face the Miami Dade College in a rematch on Saturday. The Eagles won the first meeting in Miami, 65-63. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m.