Saints Nearly Set NJCAA Steal Record in 83-45 Win Over Webber JV

December 8, 2012

SF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – 12/7/2012

Gainesville, FL – The Santa Fe Saints (10-5) overcame a slow start on Friday night against Webber International JV, pulling away from the Warriors 83-45 in a strong second half. SF fell just three steals shy of the NJCAA record, taking the ball away 27 times, just missing the record of 30 set in 2008-09 by the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Jaquasha Sesler led the way, picking the Warriors pocket eight times.

Webber started the game off hot, taking an early 9-1 lead on the Saints. SF didn't make their first field goal until a put back layup by Paulina Zaveckaite at the 13:00 mark. The game was back and forth until a late first period run by Santa Fe pushed the lead to 38-22. The Warriors didn't give in and closed on a 7-0 run, capped by a three pointer at the buzzer to close the margin to 38-29 at the halftime break.

The second half was one sided as the Saints pushed the lead to 33 at the 12 minute mark and 42 with 7:09 to go sealing the victory in the process.

SF outrebounded the Warriors 58-27 and forced 45 turnovers, a season high.

"I was very happy with our rebounding effort tonight," said SF Coach Chanda Stebbins. "We did a nice job boxing out and didn't let very many balls hit the court. One thing we do have to continue working on is taking care of the ball. Thirty four turnovers on our end is way, way to many."

Paulina Zaveckaite led Santa Fe with 21 points and 19 rebounds, her eighth double double of the season. She now has 220 rebounds on the season and averages 14.6 per game, both tops in the nation. Jaquasha Sesler scored 13 points with seven steals, Shaquita Snow had 10 points and Taybreanna Couch scored eight.

The Saints will take three weeks off from game action before returning on December 28, 29 and 30. The Santa Fe Holiday Classic, originally scheduled to take place in the SF Gym, has been moved to the College of Central Florida in Ocala. Santa Fe battles Prince George College at 7:00 PM on December 28, Pensacola State on December 29 at 6:00 PM and Gulf Coast State College on December 30 at 4:00 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.

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