The Santa Fe College women's basketball team kept the fans on the edge of their seats in its Mid-Florida Conference game against Central Florida Community College on Wednesday.
With five ties and eight lead changes, the game was intense until the final buzzer, when the Saints prevailed 78-75.
"The team finished well," said SFC assistant coach Gary Green. "Perseverance and resilience are key in these close 2- to 3-point games. The conference is always tough, and Central is always good competition."
The game hinged on fouls and free throws, and the Saints (15-4, 4-0 MFC) stood strong at the line with a 24-16 advantage. By the end of the night, three Patriots had fouled out.
The SFC victory was no easy task. The Saints, down 35-34 at halftime, came out of the locker room strong and scored the first 6 points of the second half.
Trailing 57-42, the Patriots did not go down without a fight. Emi McCullough, Brittany Hardy and Markeshia Grant shot four consecutive 3-pointers to make it a 5-point game.
With the second half quickly coming to a close, the game became a fierce battle of possession for both teams. Each team capitalized on its opponent's miscues: The Patriots scored 20 points on turnovers, and the Saints notched 30.
CFCC's Satoria Bell missed a crucial 3-pointer that would have tied the game toward the end of the second half. After that, the Patriots fought hard for every basket, but the Saints proved the strength of their offense by putting up another 15 points.
SFC sophomore forward Nichelle Glover and freshman guard Lanita Bartley were the top scorers of the night, putting up 19 and 17 points respectively. Bartley's hard drives to the basket proved too much for the Patriots defense.
SFC - ranked No. 4 in the Florida Community College Activities Association Coaches' Poll - and CFCC came into the night tied for the top spot in the MFC, but the Saints' win puts them a game ahead one-third of the way through conference play.
