Clawing their way back late into the game from a 12-point deficit, the Saints men's basketball team could not claim the game in overtime in a loss to State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota 101-92 at home on Saturday, November 16.

After a 39-36 first half in favor of the Manatees, the Saints kept fighting but eventually the Manatees started to pull away just under seven minutes left in the second half. The Saints chipped away with key offensive possessions coupled with missed shots by their opponents.

With less than a minute remaining, a three-pointer by the Saints' Ricardo Jackson followed by Nikola Jerotic's final shot of the second half at five seconds left in regulation tied the score 80-80.

The Manatees refused to give up the lead in overtime, with D'Moi Hodge having 12 of his 44 points in the five overtime minutes.

"It was a tough loss for us today against SCF," said Saints head coach Chris Mowry. "Both teams played hard for 45 minutes and Hodge had a super game for them. He is an outstanding player and showed it today."

Mowry added, "They were a hard team for us to defend as their four guards are great off the dribble and several can really shoot the 'three'."

Praising the team, Mowry said, "We did a great job down the stretch in regulation coming back to tie it up and attack them inside with Nikola, Yaw (Obeng-Mensah) and Luka (Filipovic)."

While the Saints fought hard all game, their errors gave SCF additional opportunities.

"We really hurt ourselves with multiple turnovers and making just seven of 18 at the free throw line. It is hard to beat a good team with those self-inflicted mistakes!"

Jerotic lead the Saints with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Obeng-Mensah, after a limited first half due to foul trouble, contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Jay Medor added seven of his 12 points in overtime.

Looking forward, Mowry explained, "We are so young, these games are great learning experiences for us."

The Saints (4-2, 0-0 MFC) take on Hillsborough Community College at home on Wednesday, November 20, 7 p.m.

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