Gainesville, FL – The Santa Fe College Saints started the Florida Colleges Shootout with a bang, defeating Miami Dade College 103-90. The win was the second in a row for the Saints over the Sharks. SF handed MDC a 95-92 loss on Dec. 3. Santa Fe improves to 9-4 on the season and Miami Dade drops to 4-7.
Nick Grier was a force on both ends of the floor, finishing with a double double to lead the Saints. His 11 rebounds were a game high for either team and his 17 points were second best on the team to David-Lee Jones’ 24. Josh Hawkins scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds, and D-Juan Taylor-Hodge had 12 points and eight boards.
“I thought we did a nice job today,” said SF Coach Chris Mowry. “Miami is a very difficult team to play because their style isn’t something you see very often. They apply a lot of pressure, force a bunch of turnovers. We did a pretty good job dealing with it today.”
SF led by double digits for a good portion of the first half and closed the first 20 minutes with a 47-48 lead.
In the second half, the Saints improved their efficiency, connecting on 70 percent of their shots from the field and 50 percent of their three pointers. They took advantage of odd-numbered breaks created by the trapping defense of the Sharks, leading to a number of layups and dunks.
Dade would get the score as close as four, but the Saints pulled away down the stretch for the 13-point win.
Santa Fe will resume play at the Florida Colleges Shootout Sunday at 11 a.m. against ASA College – Miami.
For complete schedules, stats, and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com.