GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Santa Fe men's basketball suffered its first defeat of the 2022-2023 season, unable to overcome a slow start in the opening half at Hillsborough Community College in a 95-81 loss to the unbeaten Hawks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Hawks came out firing on their home floor and built a lead that grew as large as 20 points.

HCC shot 20-of-38 (52.6 percent) from the floor in the first half and led 51-36 at the halftime break.

Kordell Brown's 12 first-half points kept the Saints within striking distance, and Nasir Mann's triple was the half's final basket.

SF came out of the locker room focused and was able to quickly cut into the deficit.

Jalen Speer's basket plus the foul with 14:27 on the clock made it a five-point game, 58-53.

With 10:38 to play, Nigel Martin's deuce brought the Saints to within a single possession for the first time since the game's early possessions, and it looked like the second-half momentum would bring the Saints right back into it.

The Saints couldn't draw even or regain the lead, however, and the Hillsborough offense was able to keep humming.

Both sides went back-and-forth trading baskets, as neither side seemed to be able to miss for a few wild minutes.

Down the stretch, SF was simply unable to get the defensive stops needed to complete the comeback, and the Hawks pulled away with a key 7-0 run to distance themselves and preserve the home win.

UPDATED RECORDS

Hillsborough – 6-0

Santa Fe – 3-1

STATISTICS

The Saints lost the rebounding battle for the first time this season and conceded a few too many second-chance opportunities for HCC, who shot the ball well all night long on their home planks.

For the Saints offensively, Jalen Speer had 19 second-half points on his way to a season-high 27 points on 9-of-18 from the field.

The guard was one of four Saints in double-digit scoring, with Brown adding 18 on 8-of-11 from the floor, Nikolaos Noumeros finishing with 14 points, and Cole Deptula adding ten.

Noumeros had a double-double, as he corralled a team-high 12 rebounds. Speer dished out five assists.

UP NEXT

Santa Fe (3-1) will host the State College of Florida on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 4:00 p.m. The Saints beat the Manatees by an 81-71 score in Bradenton on Nov. 5.