The Daytona State Falcons closed out a great first semester with a number of Holiday Rewards.

At the Central Florida Shootout, the Falcons defeated the 5th ranked Pensacola State Pirates in a hotly contested match-up.

Down 25-34 at the half, the Falcons rallied and held the Pirates to just 29 points in the second half, while they notched 41 points offensively. With the game tied at 63 and 14 seconds remaining, Paris Clayton took control of the game hitting a game winning 3. Clayton's 3 secured victory for the Falcons.

In addition to his game winning 3, Clayton accumulated 15 points and 6 rebounds for the Falcons. Ayinde Sprewell chipped in an additional 15 points and 7 rebounds. Tanksley Efianayi added 14 points and 7 rebounds, Rashaun Stimage had 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Will Ransom controlled the paint with 8 rebounds and 3 block shots.

After a big win Saturday, the Falcons faced 9th ranked Miami Dade in Sunday's match up. The Miami Dade Sharks, who are led by Utah State commit Darius Perkins, downed Pasco-Hernando 100-80 in Saturday's match up.

The Falcons took control early and led 44-35 at the half. The Sharks made a run to start the second half, but the Daytona State defensive pressure proved too much in the final 5 minutes. Back to back monster dunks by Will Ransom pushed the Falcons lead beyond reach, 78-65.

For the second night in a row, Paris Clayton led the Falcons' scorers with 16 points. Ayinde Sprewell, recorded his 5th double-double of the season, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tanksley Efianayi added 14 points while Rashaun Stimage had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

In addition to the Falcons great team play, Paris Clayton's efforts earned him recognition as NJCAA Region 8 Player of the week. In his two games, Paris totaled 31 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. All while logging an impressive 63 minutes directing the Falcon's offense at the point guard position.

The Falcon's stellar play, in front of a national audience of college coaches and recruitment services, earned them their spot as the 5th ranked team in Region 8 and 22nd ranked position in the NJCAA National poll. This is the first time since the 2005-06 season when the Falcons were ranked as high as 7th in the Nation.

Additionally, the Falcons proved they have a mission greater than their success on the basketball court with their academic accomplishments at the close of the fall semester. The Falcon's Men's Basketball team closed out the first semester with an accumulated 3.11 team GPA.

"Obviously, we're excited about the recognition our team is receiving on the court. Yet, our staff is most excited about our academic accomplishments. What our student-athletes are doing is more than just the culture we're creating, it's also a tribute to the support system here at the college. Our staff can't do all of this alone. It's the assistants, tutors, and professors giving of their time and energy. I'm really proud of the Falcon Team," said Coach Ridder.
The Falcons will return to action, in the New Year's Classic, on January 1st at 8pm, against Onondaga College