November 25, 2014

Gainesville, FL – The Santa Fe Saints handled the Polk State Eagles on Tuesday evening in Gainesville, despite being shorthanded two starters, leading scorer Morris Marshall, and Jaquel Taft.

"Really good win tonight over a talented Polk team," said SF Coach Chris Mowry.  "Proud of our guys, we were a little shorthanded, but everyone stepped up.  Defensively we were really good throughout the game."

Allen Baez led a Santa Fe attack that started hot, jumping to a 17-4 lead at the 13:30 mark, and led by 13 as late as the 7:55 mark of the first stanza.  Polk would cut the lead to seven late in the period, but a basket by Andre Horne in the closing seconds gave SF a 30-21 at the break.

"Getting off to that early lead was a key for us because it allowed us to slow down and not rush our offense," said Mowry.  "Brandon [Williams] and Andre [Horne] were responsible for a lot of those early baskets, and that gave us the ability to play at the pace we wanted to, which was not up and down, because we were shorthanded."

The Saints controlled the early portion of the second half as well, building their lead back to as many as 13 with 11 minutes to play.  Polk fought back over the final five minutes, scoring 15 points to trim the margin to five with 30 seconds to play.  Allen Baez hit his free throws in the closing seconds, and the Saints held on for the six point win.

"Our defense was outstanding, and we did a nice job on the boards," said Mowry.  "On a night where we only played seven guys we weren't perfect, but I'm proud of the way those guys fought and got it done."

Baez led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, Andre Horne had a big night with 16 points, five rebounds, and two blocks, Brandon Williams had 10 points, and nine rebounds, and Michael Sanchez scored 10.

Santa Fe outrebounded the Eagles 47-31, and assisted on 16 of 23 made baskets.  They held their opponent to 35% shooting from the field, and shot 42%.

The Saints will take a few days off for Thanksgiving before returning to the court on the road in Bradenton against State College of Florida on Saturday, November 29 at 4:00 PM.

For complete schedules, stats, and more information on Saints Athletics please visit www.santafesaints.com.  To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.

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