WINTER HAVEN — Polk State Basketball's struggles continued on Wednesday night. The Eagles made runs throughout the night to stay within striking distance but couldn't get over the hump against Florida SouthWestern State College in a 95-81 loss.
The contest was close throughout the first half with neither team leading by more than five points. The last lead for Polk State came with about three minutes to go as
Eric Dailey's 3-pointer broke a 37-37 tie. Florida SouthWestern responded with a 9-2 run before taking a 48-44 lead to the locker room.
It took less than three minutes into the second half for the Buccaneers to push the lead to double digits. The Eagles, however, continued to battle back.
After falling behind by 14 points, a 3-pointer by
Tre Jackson and a fast-break bucket by
Josh Pitts cut the lead to 86-78 with less than six minutes to go. Unfortunately for Polk State, it could get no closer. FSW responded with a 9-2 run to put the contest away.
Florida SouthWestern shot 53% from the field in the second half and 10-for-17 from deep. Both teams shot the ball well for the evening with Polk State shooting 49% to 48% for the Buccaneers. FSW, however, went 14-for-27 from beyond the arc and made 11 more free throws than the Eagles.
Isaiah McCray shot 5-for-8 from distance, leading Polk State with a game-high 20 points. At one point in the first half, McCray scored eight straight Polk State points.
Dailey and
Jimmy Cami each added 14 points in the loss. Cami was an efficient 7 of 10 from the field. Pitts and
Ethan Simon chipped in with 13 points apiece on 5-for-7 and 6-for-10 from the field, respectively.
Lamont Hartfield made five of his seven 3-point attempts to lead five FSW players in double figures with 19 points. Tyler Bey added 17 points for the Buccaneers.
Polk State remains in search of its first win since Nov. 22 as it has now lost eight straight games. The Eagles will aim for their first win in a true road game and wrap up non-conference play on Saturday when it visits Florida State College at Jacksonville.
