January 9, 2010 Contact: Scott Jamison 352.395.5616 scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu
SF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
JOHNSON’S LAST SECOND LAYUP LIFTS SAINTS PAST DAYTONA STATE, 61-59
Gainesville, FL – India Johnson came up big for the defending Mid-Florida Conference champion Santa Fe Saints (13-5, 2-0 MFC) on Saturday afternoon, breaking a 59-59 tie with 1.8 seconds left to boost SF past MFC rivals Daytona State (10-8, 0-1 MFC)
“This was a good win for our team today,” said Coach Chanda Stebbins. “We had some players step up and make plays when we needed them. India made a great hustle play there at the end and I was impressed by her effort. One thing we will need to improve on is our rebounding. Daytona outrebounded us by 11 and it will be tough to consistently win conference games getting beat on the boards like that.”
The first half was back and forth as both teams tried to establish a lead. There were six ties and four lead changes before the Saints were able to build a four point lead at the half, 30-26.
Tracie Sneed and Lanita Bartley opened the second half with three pointers to give SF their first double digit advantage on the afternoon, 38-28.
Santa Fe held on to their lead until DSC made a push with six minutes to go in the game. The Falcons scored six straight points to cut the lead to four with three minutes to go, and erased the lead completely on a Tracie Flowers layup with 58 seconds left to go up 57-56.
With the Saints down 59-58 with 10 seconds to go, sophomore guard India Johnson stepped up to the free throw line and made the first of two shots to tie the game at 59-59.
Her second free throw rimmed out and Daytona State collected the rebound under their own basket. SF immediately trapped and with the time winding down were able to force a turnover that India Johnson turned into a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining to give the Saints their second straight Mid-Florida Conference win.
Lanita Bartley led SF in scoring with 19 and Letiecia Davenport had 15 points and six rebounds. Coach Stebbins liked what she saw out of Davenport.
“Letiecia really stepped up her game today,” said Stebbins. “We have been getting on her about being more aggressive with the ball and she did a great job today making the most out of her opportunities on the offensive end.”
The Saints next game is at home on Wednesday against Florida State College-Jacksonville, an MFC match-up that is scheduled to tip off at 7:00pm.
For complete schedules and more information on Saints Basketball, please visit www.sfcollege.edu/athletics. To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.
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