November 1, 2009 Contact: Scott Jamison 352.395.5616 scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu
SFC MEN’S BASKETBALL
SANTA FE OPENS SEASON WITH WIN OVER IMG ACADEMY, 68-39
Gainesville, FL – Coach Chris Mowry and the Santa Fe College Saints started 2009-10 on the right foot Sunday afternoon, picking up a convincing win against IMG Academy out of Bradenton, FL on the opening day of the Cabot Lodge Classic.
“It was good to get out and start the regular season,” said Mowry. “All 11 players that dressed had a chance to play. Our two sophomores Chris Baez and Marlon Rivera did an especially good job for us on the offensive end.”
Saints’ guard Chris Baez led all scorers with 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He also had five rebounds and three steals. SFC point guard Marlon Rivera was the other Saint in double figures with 15 points.
Santa Fe jumped out early on IMG, taking a 10-2 lead four minutes into the game on two free throws by Baez. The Saints would take their biggest lead of the half at 22-6 with 5:41 to go. IMG closed the margin slightly at the end of the half and SFC took a 28-16 lead into the break.
The Saints continued to play suffocating defense in the second half, holding IMG to 10 points over the first nine minutes while building the lead to 50-26.
IMG scored the next five points in the game, but SFC answered right back, going on an 18-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 68-32 with four minutes remaining, capped off by a Chuck Ford lay-up. Santa Fe cruised from there for the 68-39 win.
“Defensively we did a real nice job making it tough for them to get open looks,” Mowry said. “We also did a good job boxing out on defense, limiting their second chances.”
Santa Fe held IMG to only three offensive rebounds and pulled down 27 defensive boards. SFC also had 15 offense rebounds. Branimir Mikulic led the way with 11 rebounds and Iran Hollis had nine.
Earlier in the day St. John’s River CC defeated College of Coastal Georgia 97-93 in the first game of the Cabot Lodge Classic. The tournament continues tomorrow when St. John’s River plays TAAG Academy at 4pm and the Saints take on College of Coastal Georgia at 6pm.
“I was very impressed with Coastal Georgia,” said Mowry. “We will have our work cut out for us tomorrow. They are very athletic and do a good job in transition. They like to full court press and apply a lot of pressure in the half court. It will be a completely different look from tonight’s game.”
For complete schedules and more information on Saints Basketball, please visit www.sfcollege.edu/athletics.
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