Gainesville, FL- On Saturday, the Saints faced another tough conference opponent in Polk State College.  These were two evenly matched teams with similar records coming into today's game (Saints 8-9, Eagles 9-8).  The Saints took control from the start of game and maintained control of the lead throughout the first half.  During the second half the Eagles began to get on track with their shooting led by Dominick Nelson who finished with 27 points.  Jonathan Renois was the leading scorer for the Saints (18 points).  His consistent ability to  aggressively attack the basket and score at the rim kept the Eagles off balance.  Even though the Saints led the majority of the game, a big second half from the Eagles put them within striking distance allowing them to hit a last second shot to upset the Saints at home in a thriller.

How It Happened

With a few triples and key stops from the Saints they were able to gain momentum and build an early lead in the first half.  They appeared confident as they continued to increase the lead going up by as much as 15 points in the first half.  The Saints were led by strong guard play from Jonathan Renois who scored 9 points in the first half and Karmello Branch who provided a spark off the bench adding another 12 points.  Ashton Lovette also contributed 9 points in the first half (including two triples).

Despite the Saints gettin goff to a hot start, Polk State began to chip away at the lead in the second half making it a back and forth game.  Dominck Nelson led the Eagle's second half push by scoring 15 points.  With just under 14:00 minutes left the Eagles tied the game at 56-56.  The Saints recaptured the lead as they went on a 6-0 run.  At the 3:00 mark the Eagles took back the lead (73-74).  Pedrag Panisic hit a triple giving the Saints the lead once again.  Jonathan Renois scored back to back baskets in the final stretch, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Eagles.  With the score knotted up in the final seconds, Cole White rebounded the ball and heaved the game winning shot to defeat the Saints in a heartbreaker.       

Comments From Coach Mowry

"Tough loss today.  I thought we really played hard and competed with Polk the whole game.  We got off to great start offensively, then started to turn the ball over, which gave Polk a chance to make it close at the half.  It was a very tight game the entire second half.  We did a super job in the last 25 seconds to tie the game up and use our two fouls to cut the clock to 3.5 seconds.  We defended their in-bound play well, but they were able to throw up a shot and it went in.  We have a quick turnaround with Florida Southwestern State coming here Tuesday night.  We will start preparing tomorrow and be ready to give our best effort against another top 25 NJCAA team."