Daytona State Men’s and Women’s Basketball Prepare for Tournament Play

Next week the Falcon Basketball programs will tip off in Ocala for the opening rounds of the FCSAA Tournament.  Both the men’s and women’s teams have advanced to regional tournament play this year after claiming stake in both Mid-Florida Conference titles. 

The Falcons Men’s Basketball team is currently 21-7 and is receiving votes in the national poll.  They finished Mid-Florida Conference play last weekend, defeating Sante Fe for sole ownership of the Mid-Florida Conference title.  With just one loss in conference play and four straight wins, the Falcons will look to keep the streak alive as they take on the unranked 20-10 Sharks team of Miami-Dade.

Tanksley Efianayi and Wesley Algcegaire lead Daytona State offensively.  Efianayi averages just over 20 points per contest, while Algcegaire closely follows with 17 points per game. 

The Falcons will have to shut down Miami-Dade’s top scorer Shane Rector next Thursday, March 5th when they match up with the Sharks in the opening round of tournament play to ensure victory and advancement to Friday’s semifinals. 

The Lady Falcons will be debuting in the FCSAA Tournament against Northwest Florida State College.  Daytona State will have a tough match up against the fifth ranked Raiders.  The Raiders are currently  24-3 and are coming off a loss to Chipola.  The Falcons will feed off the momentum of their 8 game winning streak, when they take on the Raiders next Wednesday at 6pm.

The Raiders are led by three key contributors on the offensive end.  Simone Westbrook, Daniela Wallen, and Tia Sanders.  These three ladies average nearly 40 points combined for Northwest Florida State College.

The Falcons, now ranked 18th in the nation, have heated up at the right part of the season and have their sights set on a FCSAA Championship.  Three games stand in the way of the Falcons claiming state championship glory.