Late Surge Pushes Saints Past State College of FL, 72-58

November 16, 2011

November 16, 2011 Contact: Scott Jamison 352-395-5616 scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu

SF MEN'S BASKETBALL

LATE SURGE PUSHES SAINTS PAST SCF, 72-58

Gainesville, FL – A strong defensive effort and a 22-11 run over the final seven minutes of the game gave the FCSAA #4 Santa Fe Saints (4-0) their fourth straight victory to start the 2011-12 season.

Defense was the name of the game again for Santa Fe, who held their second straight opponent under 60 points and under 40% shooting. SCF made just 22-of-58 shots (37.9%) and 2-of-14 three point shots (14%).

"It was a pretty ugly game, we were very sloppy in the first half handling and shooting the ball," said SF Coach Chris Mowry. "We did a better job in the second half, but we still were not as sharp as we need to be."

After a back and forth first 20 minutes, the Manatees closed the half with four straight points to take a 28-24 advantage in to the locker room. The Saints shot just 30% from the field and SCF shot 38%.

Santa Fe came out of the halftime break and immediately chipped away at the lead. Back to back three pointers by Brian Holmes at the 15 minute mark gave SF their first lead of the second half, one they would not relinquish.

SCF stayed in the game closed the gap to 52-49 with six minutes to go, but eight straight Santa Fe points expanded the lead to double digits for the first time. The Manatees refused to give in and made it just a seven point game with 1:20 to go, but that's as close as they would get. From there the Saints closed the game on a 7-0 run to secure the 12 point victory.

"We weren't real sharp all game and I'm confident we are a much better team than we showed out there tonight," said Mowry. "I talked to the guys in the locker room about practicing hard the next couple days and coming out on Saturday and playing to the level we know we can."

Point guard Brian Holmes again came up big in the second half, scoring 13 of his 17 points to pace SF. He added seven assists and turned the ball over just once. Kevin Harden (pictured) was also in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds, Paul Stone scored nine points, Junior McLeod finished with eight, Altavious Carter had eight, and Matt Conway had a game high nine rebounds.

"Brian had another strong game for us and really upped his level of play in the second half," said Mowry. "Kevin also stepped up and had a good game on both ends of the floor."

The Saints continue their early season home stand when they welcome Hillsborough CC to the SF Gym on Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 PM.

For complete schedules and more information on Saints Men's Basketball, please visit santafesaints.com. To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.

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