FSC-J Defeats Saints For First Time in Four Years

January 14, 2012

January 14, 2012
Contact: Scott Jamison
352-395-5616
scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu

SF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

FSC-J DEFEATS SANTA FE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS

Gainesville, FL – Santa Fe failed to overcome a sluggish second half on Saturday afternoon dropped to 1-2 in the Mid-Florida Conference, falling to Florida State College at Jacksonville 65-55, their first loss to the Stars since 2007.

The three time defending MFC champion Saints (7-14, 1-2 MFC) jumped out to an early 8-1 advantage on the strength of two Tiara Thompson three pointers, and led by as many as 12 with 5:39 to go in the first period. The Stars used a 15-7 run over the final five minutes to cut the margin to 30-26 at the break.

"We had a few too many breakdowns on defense today," said SF Coach Chanda Stebbins. "We played pretty well in the first half but FSC-J adjusted nicely and we weren't able to get enough stops."

FSC-J came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, outscoring SF 20-4 over the first eight minutes to take a 48-36 lead. Stephenie Coney and the Saints refused to give in and chopped the margin down to four with two minutes to go, but would get no closer as the Stars' Sharmayne Edwards nailed down four free throws to ice the game.

"We missed too many easy shots, especially in the second half and stood around too much on offense," said Stebbins. "We rushed our offense and settled for low percentage shots."

Coney led Santa Fe with 19 points on 8-of-26 shooting, Tiara Thompson had 13 points and Lydia Cuff scored seven.

The Saints return to action next Saturday, January 21 when they travel to Hillsborough CC for a MFC game at 4:00 PM. The next home game for SF is Wednesday, January 25 against College of Central Florida at 6:00 PM.

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.

-30-