Men's Basketball Drops Fifth Straight, 58-51 at St. Petersburg
March 15, 2021

Men's Basketball Drops Fifth Straight, 58-51 at St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Santa Fe men's basketball and St. Petersburg played for the second time in a week, and the Titans once again came out on top, 58-51 on Monday evening.
 
First Half – SF 34, SPC 23
The Saints defense was sound in the opening half, and allowed SF to open up a double-digit lead after the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Jay Medor and Bradley Douglas led the Saints offensively, contributing nine and eight points each, respectively.
 
Second Half – SPC 58, SF 51
The Saints lead was still double-digits, 40-30, with about 15 minutes left to play.
 
The Titans dramatically turned the game around with a string of 20 unanswered points, claiming a 50-40 lead of their own.
 
Santa Fe went through a scoreless drought for about nine minutes, getting on the scoreboard for the first time during the Titans' run with a free-throw from Medor with 6:45 on the clock.
 
The free-throw was the start of a 5-0 Santa Fe run, which included four points from Yaw Obeng-Mensah to bring the Saints to within two possessions, 50-45.
 
The Titans hit a corner three that was answered a minute later by a Josh Petteno triple, and the Saints eventually trimmed the deficit down to as little as four points, 55-51, with 1:12 remaining.
 
Santa Fe forced a turnover and made their way to the free-throw line for two. Although Medor missed both the first and second, Petteno controlled the offensive rebound and gave the Saints new life. 
 
The St. Petersburg defense held tight, however, and Santa Fe's possession ended with a shot clock violation with 35 seconds left.
 
Despite the Saints' best efforts to extend the game from that point forward, St. Petersburg was able to make enough free-throws down the stretch and keep SF off the scoreboard until the final whistle.  
 
Key Statistics
Santa Fe's 17 points in the second half represented their lowest output in a half this season. 
 
Medor led the Saints with 13 points, and Obeng-Mensah was in double-digits with ten.
 
Douglas chipped in with eight, and DJ Henderson had seven. 
 
A Moment with Mowry
"We played a great first half on defense and were even better offensively to lead 34-23 at the half," said Head Coach Chris Mowry.
 
"We struggled early in the second half with turnovers that led to layups, which let St. Petersburg back in the game. We continue to struggle to score in the second half, missing from inside, outside, and at the free-throw line. Credit St. Petersburg for playing hard and finding a way to win." 
 
Up Next
Santa Fe (5-8 2-7 CC) will look to bounce back on Wednesday, March 17 at home against Polk State College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. 
Video Box Score

Team Stats