Box Score WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Polk State Basketball suffered its second-l straight Citrus Conference defeat on Saturday afternoon. Outscored 44-19 in the second half, the Eagles fell at home to St. Petersburg College, 71-60.
The Eagles (9-7, 1-2 Citrus) saw a 22.1% dip in their shooting percentage from the first half to the second, while the Titans (8-8, 1-2 Citrus) enjoyed a 22.7% increase in their shooting percentage.
Polk excelled via the long ball in the first half, going 8-for-19 from three-point range. Sophomore guard
Dominick Nelson sunk a trio of three-pointers in the first half, scoring 11 of his 15 points before halftime.
The Eagles seemed poised for victory after a dynamic first half, entering the locker room with a 41-27 lead.
However, Polk State struggled to find the same rhythm from distance in the second half, shooting just 2-for-10 from the perimeter through the final 20 minutes of play. Meanwhile, SPC attacked the rim, which led to a plethora of paint scoring. The Titans finished the day outscoring the Eagles 44-16 on the interior.
The Titans opened the half on a 19-5 run to take a 56-46 double-digit lead. The Eagles got no closer than eight from that point forward.
Freshman guard
Malachi Stevens led Polk in scoring with 16 points, finishing 4-for-7 from three.
The Eagles look to respond back at home on Wednesday, when they will host Florida SouthWestern State College for Polk State's "Black Out Game". Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
