December 10, 2015

Gainesville, FL – The Santa Fe 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 December 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% of their shots from the field and 50% 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 on Sunday at 11:00 AM against ASA College - Miami.

For complete schedules, stats, and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com. 

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