BRADENTON, Fla. - Santa Fe men's basketball improved to 2-0 in the young season, picking up an 81-71 victory in their first road test at the State College of Florida.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Saints established a 44-31 advantage at halftime and appeared to be on the way to a comfortable win.

That would not be the case, as the hosts came all the way back to take a lead of their own as the clock dwindled down.

SF was able to weather the momentum and regain control, however, finishing what they started with a well-played performance in the clutch.

Coach Mowry: "It was a gritty road win. SCF is really hard to guard. After we got the 13-point halftime lead and SCF regained a one-point advantage in the final five minutes, we kept our composure, regained the lead, and pulled away down the stretch with defensive stops and good free-throw shooting. I am really proud of our effort. It was not our best shooting day, but we found a way to win!"

UPDATED RECORDS

Santa Fe – 2-0

State College of Florida – 0-3

STATISTICS

Complete statistics will be provided as soon as possible. Kordell Brown poured in a career-high 24 points to pace SF offensively. Four others also notched double-digit scoring: Jalen Speer (15), Cole Deptula (13), Nigel Martin (12), and Nasir Mann (11).

The Saints went 26-of-35 from the free-throw line and were rewarded for their aggression attacking the basket.

UP NEXT

Santa Fe will have two home games next week, with the first one on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. against DME Academy.