SF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Gainesville, FL – Sophomore forward Paulina Zaveckaite led the Santa Fe Saints past Miami Dade College (0-2) on Friday afternoon on the second day of the SF Tip-off Classic, scoring a game high 18 points to go with an impressive 19 rebounds.
The FCSAA #9 Saints (2-0) never trailed in the contest, but came out slow before turning it on and led by 14 at half time after Tiara Thompson nailed a three pointer with four seconds left to send Santa Fe in to the locker room with a 42-28 lead.
“We were a little sluggish out of the gates but picked it up at the end of the half,” said SF Co ach Chanda Stebbins. “We were in foul trouble early on and didn’t have the intensity we needed against a team like Miami Dade.”
Miami Dade fought back in the second half and closed the gap to 53-47 with nine minutes to play. Four consecutive free throws by Lydia Cuff and Zaveckaite put SF back up by double digits two minutes later, 57-47.
With three minutes remaining in the game, SF guard Lonna Turner capped a 14-6 run for the Saints, putting them ahead 71-53, sealing the game in the process.
Tiara Thompson finished the game with 18 points and Monique Bunk scored 14 to join Zaveckaite in double figures.
“Tiara really carried us in the first half and Paulina did a great job all game crashing the boards,” said Stebbins. “We struggled in a few areas, especially taking care of the ball and executing on offense. We will continue to work hard in practice and keep improving over the next few days and then get back after it against Brevard on Tuesday.”
The Saints travel to Cocoa on Tuesday, November 6 to battle Brevard CC at 6:00 PM.
For complete schedules and more information on Women’s 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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