Women's basketball team excites at Titan Madness
The Eastern Florida State College basketball teams put on a show Friday night during Titan Madness at Titan Field House on the Melbourne campus.
The evening began with the Skillz Challenge, where teams were comprised of a men's player, a women's player and a coach. Men's basketball assistant coach Tom Parks teamed up with men's player Adriel Rosa and Claire Bady to pick up the win.
The 3-point contest came down to a rematch and while Ahmed Ali didn't make all his shots this year, he made most of them and once again edged Mariah Batz in the final. Kaleel Solomon won the first round, edging Ali 12-11 but both advanced to the final where Ali scored 12 points to advance to the final. He would hit 14 of the possible 15 points in the final.
Batz was also steady all night, hitting 12 in each of the first two rounds and 11 in the final.
"Our sharpshooter almost didn't get in it but she definitely represented our team well. She fell short again but she is always the champ in our hearts," Eastern Florida State College women's basketball coach MJ Baker said. "It was an exciting turnout and both teams represented well and showcased what they are made of."
Men's basketball player Mike Nuga took home the slam dunk title, defeating Eli Abaev in the final by four points.
"It was a great place to be on a Friday night, everything was exciting," Ali said. "I felt like everyone was coming after my title but it was a great honor to win again."
The men's basketball team opens the season in Indiana next weekend while the women's team opens at Miami-Dade on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The first home game for the men will be Nov. 20 against Miami-Dade while the women do not have a home game until Dec. 15 this season. Admission to all Titans sporting events is free.