Box Score WINTER HAVEN – In a back-and-forth contest on Wednesday night, Polk State Basketball just couldn't shake Palm Beach State College. In the end, a late 3-pointer propelled the Panthers past the Eagles as Polk State suffered its first home loss of the season, 78-73.
With the contest knotted at 73 and the shot clock winding down, Palm Beach State's Eduardo Diaz knocked down an incredibly tough shot with 8.1 seconds remaining to give the Panthers the victory. It was Diaz's fifth trey of the night in six attempts as the 5-foot-9 sophomore finished with a game-high 20 points.
Every time Polk State (8-5) appeared on the verge of seizing control, Diaz had the answer on Wednesday night. Justin Allen and Devontre Chaney finished with 18 and 16 points, respectively, in the win for Palm Beach State. As a team, Palm Beach State shot a solid 7-for-16 from beyond the arc. Polk State went just 7-for-26 from distance.
Neither team led by more than six points in the second half. For the night, the contest featured seven ties and 11 lead changes.
Polk State's final lead came with less than two minutes remaining. After
Dominick Nelson threw down a thunderous dunk over a Palm Beach State defender to tie the game,
Cole White's bucket at the rim gave the Eagles a 72-70 lead.
With 1:33 to play, Diaz's 3-pointer put the Panthers back in front. Nelson split a pair of free throws with 40.7 seconds remaining on the clock to tie the game before the winning shot went down on the ensuing possession.
"My hat goes off to Palm Beach," Head Coach Brandon Giles said. "That's a well-coached team that plays hard. With our approach throughout this week in practice, I'm not sure we deserved to win this one."
Nelson led Polk State with 18 points. White finished with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go with seven rebounds but did miss the front end of a 1-and-1 twice in the second half.
Malachi Stevens finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep.
Nathan Andrice added nine points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Polk State was in front for most of the first half. After a 7-0 run from Palm Beach State tied the game at 29, 3-pointers from Nelson and
Derrick Jones Jr. ignited an 8-0 counter run to give the Eagles their biggest lead of the night. Polk State led 41-36 at halftime, but the Panthers scored the first six points of the second half to go back in front.
With the victory, Palm Beach State sweeps the regular season series. The Panthers handed the Eagles another heartbreaking loss on Dec. 2 in Lake Worth by an 80-76 score.
Polk State will look to bounce back as it remains home to begin Citrus Conference play on Saturday against Miami Dade College. The teams split a pair of non-conference meetings last season. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
