Edwards and Couch Lead Saints Past Brevard, 71-60
November 30, 2011
November 30, 2011 Contact: Scott Jamison 352-395-5616 scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu
SF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
EDWARDS AND COUCH LEAD SAINTS TO 71-60 VICTORY OVER BREVARD
Gainesville, FL – Santa Fe sophomore guard Stephanie Edwards turned in one of the best games of her career on Wednesday night against Brevard Community College, scoring 18 points to go with eight rebounds and six steals in the 71-60 Saints (4-7) victory. Taybreanna Couch also turned in a solid game, scoring 16 points with seven rebounds.
"Taybreanna did a really nice job tonight on both ends of the court," said SF Coach Chanda Stebbins. "She was very efficient with her 16 points coming on just eight shots. She took advantage of the looks she got inside and did a great job finishing. Stephanie also gave us a nice boost with her scoring but especially with the way she played defense and rebounded."
The FCSAA #8 Saints jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but Brevard countered with a run of their own, going up 10-5 four minutes into the game. The score was back and forth until a jumper by Stephanie Edwards broke a 21-21 tie and gave SF the lead for good. The Saints closed the half with five straight points to take a 30-24 lead into the break.
"We never really had any rhythm offensively in the first half," said Stebbins. "We were good at times at taking advantage of our size mismatch, but other times we forced it and turned the ball over. We adjusted more in the second half, but still didn't have the consistency we are looking for game in and game out."
Santa Fe came out firing in the second period, opening the half on a 25-7 run to take the largest lead of the game, 55-31 with 10:31 to play. Brevard slowly chipped away and a late flurry cut the lead to 68-60 with under a minute remaining. A free throw by Couch and put back by Tiara Thompson in the final seconds iced the win.
The Saints outrebounded the Titans 51-36, including 24 offensive rebounds.
"We knew coming into this game that rebounding was going to be a key to winning," said Stebbins. "I liked the way we aggressively went after the ball, especially in the second half."
Stephenie Coney joined Couch and Edwards in double figures with 10 points, Tiara Thompson scored seven and Lonna Turner and Shanice Clark scored six each.
Santa Fe hosts the Women's Florida College Shootout on December 2 and 3. The Saints play Indian River State on Friday, December 2 at 6:00 PM and Broward College on Saturday, December 3 at 6:00 PM. A full schedule can be found on the Santa Fe Athletics website.
"We are really looking forward to hosting the Florida College Shootout for the sixth time," said Stebbins. "This is a great opportunity for all the student athletes from the state of Florida to perform in front of NCAA coaches from all over the country and a chance for our fans to see some of the best talent in the nation."
For complete schedules and more information on Saints Women's Basketball, please visit santafesaints.com. To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.
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