SF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – 1/12/2013
Gainesville, FL – The shorthanded Patriots of the College of Central Florida kept things interesting on Saturday afternoon against the FCSAA #7 Santa Fe Saints, but a late run by SF (13-8, 1-2 MFC) propelled them to a 68-54 victory, their first in Mid-Florida Conference play.
“This was a big game for us coming off two close losses to start the conference season,” said SF Coach Chanda Stebbins. “I was happy with how we distributed the ball and played unselfishly. Monique [Bunk] and Kaitlynn [Pacholke] put together solid games at the point.”
The two point guards combined for 14 of the teams assists on the afternoon.
Central Florida (3-17, 0-3 MFC) jumped out in the early going and controlled the tempo throughout the first half, leading by as many as 11 despite only having six active players. The Saints closed the gap slightly before the halftime break and trailed the Patriots 29-24 after the first 20 minutes.
The second half was a different story. Jaquasha Sesler and Bunk turned up the defensive pressure forcing a string of turnovers that led to easy baskets for the Saints. A breakaway layup by Sesler with 13 minutes left gave Santa Fe their first lead since the 15:48 mark of the first half. From there the Saints went on a 33-20 run to end the game, winning by 14.
Santa Fe won despite getting outrebounded for one of the only times this season.
“They outworked us on the glass today,” said Stebbins. “We shouldn’t get outrebounded by a team that much smaller than us. We need to stay focused and work hard all 40 minutes.”
The Saints had four players in double figures. Jaquasha Sesler and Tiara Thompon had 13 apiece, Monique Bunk had 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Shanice Clark scored 12 points to go with nine rebounds.
Santa Fe will take a week off before traveling to Tampa for a MFC contest against Hillsborough CC at 4:00 PM.
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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