MELBOURNE, Fla. – Santa Fe College Men's Basketball remained unbeaten in the early season, pulling away from Miami Dade by a final score of 78-60 on the neutral court on Day 1 of the Florida JUCO Shootout, hosted by Eastern Florida State College.

First Half – SF 31, MDC 27

The first four points of the game went to the Saints in the opening minute, after Leonardo Da Campo had a bucket inside and Nicolas McClain sunk two free-throws.

With both teams struggling to find some consistent offensive rhythm early, the Sharks were able to take their first lead of the game, 9-8, with five straight points and the clock at 13:20.

Miami Dade's lead was still one, 16-15, when SF put together five straight points to lead 20-16 following a three-pointer from Hasan Abdul-Hakim with 3:52 left in the half.

The separation never grew in the first half, and it continued to be a defensive grind. The Saints did well to produce the half's final five points, however, to lead 31-27 going into the break. Bradley Douglas had a finish on the fastbreak to beat the buzzer.

Abdul-Hakim, the reigning FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week, had nine points and seven rebounds at the halftime whistle, including the Saints' only converted triple try.

Second Half – SF 78, MDC 60

The Saints had much more success from beyond the arc in the second half and started to heat up offensively.

With about 13:30 left to play, SF started a string of seven unanswered points.

The run extended to 20-4, capped off by a basket in the paint off a Sharks' turnover from Eddie Foster III that handed the Saints' their largest lead of the game, 69-47, with 7:25 remaining. Four different Santa Fe players nailed trifectas during the stretch of play.

The run proved to be the knockout punch, as Miami Dade never got any closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Key Statistics

Santa Fe went 6-of-9 from deep in the second half and finished the game 7-of-20. Six different players found the bottom of the net from beyond the arc.

The Saints won the rebounding margin by nine, 41-32, led by nine from Abdul-Hakim and eight from Da Campo.

After shooting just 33 percent in the opening half, SF went 16/31 (51.6%) in the second half to seal their fourth victory.

Four players were in double-figures in scoring, led by 15 from Douglas on 7-of-12 from the field. Da Campo finished with a season-high 13, while Abdul-Hakim (12) and McClain (11) were key contributors on the offensive end as well.

McClain added a career-high five steals on the defensive end, while Douglas snagged three.

Up Next

Receiving votes Santa Fe (4-0. 0-0 Central) will aim to remain unbeaten when it plays No. 4 Chipola College (3-0) on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 5:00 p.m. on Day 2 of the Florida JUCO Shootout.