January 7, 2015

Gainesville, FL – The shorthanded Saints (12-6) once again pulled out a close victory Wednesday evening, this time against State College of Florida 65-59 at the SF Gym.  Just seven players dressed for the second game in a row, and for the second time, Santa Fe won.

"This was a great team effort with every one of our guys getting significant minutes," said SF Coach Chris Mowry.  "Jordan Benjamin and Conor Westall did an especially nice job off the bench.  They haven't been called upon to play a lot of minutes this season, but we needed them tonight and they came up big, especially in the second half."

Benjamin finished with eight points and nine rebounds and Westall had seven points and six rebounds, with 14 of their combined 15 points coming during the final 20 minutes.

Jaquel Taft led SF with 17 points and 10 rebounds, building off his 18 point performance four days ago against Wytheville CC.

Santa Fe trailed by two at the half, 32-30, but upped the defensive pressure, holding the Manatees to just 27 second half points.  SCF freshman Harrison Hebert led all scorers with 20 points, but managed just three in the second half.

Allen Baez and Michael Sanchez finished in double figures with 11 points each, and Brandon Williams had nine points.

The win is the third in a row for Santa Fe and the eighth loss in a row for State College of Florida.

The Saints will travel to St. Petersburg College on Saturday, January 10 for a final tune-up against the Titans before opening conference play the following Saturday.  Tip-off is scheduled for 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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