Box Score WINTER HAVEN – With its FCSAA Tournament hopes dwindling, Polk State Basketball was forced to dig deep in its final home game of the season on Wednesday night. The Eagles responded with their most improbable win of the season – 85-83 over Indian River State College.

Trailing 80-69 with 4:19 to play, things looked bleak. Polk State (19-10, 7-8 Citrus Conference) closed the game on a 16-3 run to stun the Pioneers.

Ty Owens tied a career-high with 29 points and played a pivotal role down the stretch. Jordan Brown was also huge in crunch time during a 23-point effort.

"We always find a way to dig deep – grit, resilience, determination, fight," Owens said. "I thank our coaches for having faith to put the ball in my hands and make plays for my teammates. We go hard in practice every day. This is a tough team."

With less than 90 seconds remaining, Polk State trailed 82-73 when Brown hit a trey to make it a two-possession game. After Owens knocked down a step-back jumper to make it 83-78 with 1:05 remaining, Polk State ramped up the defensive intensity.

The Eagles forced three straight turnovers. After Owens converted a 3-point play, Brown popped open following another Indian River turnover and hit the go-ahead triple with 32 seconds remaining.

"It was my shot," Brown recalled. "I just did what I always do, took my time, and hit it."

Up 84-83, the Eagles got another key stop. Fray Nguimbi split a pair of free throws with six seconds left to push the lead to 85-83. Indian River's Mason Porter-Brown missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

"From all the wins here at Polk State, this is probably No. 1," Head Coach Brandon Giles exclaimed. "With what was on the line, this was huge. Our goal since the start of the season was to make the regional tournament. There's no questioning it anymore – this team is tough."

Polk State found itself behind for virtually the entire night but continued to fight back. The Eagles trailed by 11 in the first half but closed on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 45-40 at halftime on Jimmy Cami's late jam.

Polk State had plenty of self-inflicted wounds in the second half. The Eagles opened the second half by missing a dunk and a layup. They also missed seven of their first 15 free throws to start the half.

Despite the miscues, Brown's transition basket gave Polk State a 62-60 lead – its first since the early parts of the first half – with more than 12 minutes to go. The Pioneers responded with a 9-0 run. The run started with a controversial foul call as Owens was ruled to have fouled Emmanuel Akot on a 3-point attempt. Akot made all three foul shots and the Pioneers maintained the lead until the final minute.

In addition to big nights from Owens and Brown, Karl Knighten Jr. provided a spark off the Polk State bench with 11 points. Porter-Brown led Indian River with 24 points in the loss. Amari Williams added 17 for the Pioneers.

With Wednesday's win, Polk State has guaranteed itself at least one more game. The Eagles can clinch a spot in the FCSAA Tournament quarterfinals with a win over Eastern Florida State College in its regular season finale or one loss each by St. Petersburg College and Santa Fe College.

"Making the tournament has been on our mind," Owens noted. "We have to dig deep, stay together, and fight."

Polk State's final regular season game takes place in Melbourne at 7 p.m. on Monday. St. Petersburg concludes the regular season on Saturday against No. 9 Daytona State College. Santa Fe has remaining games against Miami Dade College and Indian River.

"We're motivated to go to state," Brown added. "We want something bigger than this."