GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Santa Fe women's basketball hosted Central Conference foe Daytona State College on Monday evening, and the Falcons left Gainesville with the eight-point victory, holding off Santa Fe's push in the final minutes.

First Quarter - DSC 15, SF 14

Santa Fe scored the game's first four points, but each team was a bit slow out of the gate offensively.

Daytona State took their first lead at the charity stripe, breaking a 6-6 tie with two made free-throws with a little over three minutes left in the quarter.

The rest of the quarter featured two lead changes and a tie, with Carla Soto's basket representing the final points.

Second Quarter - DSC 43, SF 32

Andrea Torres' three-pointer to start the second quarter put the Saints in front, but as the quarter wore on, Daytona State started to take control.

The Falcons turned a 19-18 deficit into a double-digit, 34-24 lead on the strength of a 16-5 run as the clock approached two minutes to play.

It looked as if Santa Fe's halftime deficit would be single-digits after another triple from Torres, but the Falcons countered with a three-pointer of their own in the final seconds to bring the score to 43-32.

Third Quarter - DSC 60, SF 51

The Falcons lead reached as large as 15 points, 50-35.

With 30 seconds left in the frame and SF trailing 60-46, Zoé Alexander scored the quarter's final five points, first with a driving layup and then a deep step-in three-pointer to beat the horn. The long-range buzzer-beater brought the Saints to within single digits, 60-51, headed into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter – DSC 75, SF 67

The Falcons lead ballooned back up to 14 points on two separate occasions.

Facing a 69-55 deficit, however, the Saints began a 9-2 spurt to force a Daytona State timeout with two and a half minutes to play and the score at 71-64. Santa Fe's run was bookended by five consecutive points from Taniah Bowers.

Out of the timeout, Daytona State connected on a deep two-point jump shot late in the shot clock. It was answered by a three-pointer from Lauren Carmona, her third of the game, and SF took a timeout trailing by just six, 73-67, with 1:04 remaining.

In the final minute, the SF defensive pressure that had allowed the Saints to find a way back into the contest wasn't able to force a turnover it needed, and Daytona State hit two from the free-throw line to close out the 75-67 result.

Key Statistics

Three different players concluded the game with double-digit scoring, as the Saints shot the ball well to sink ten three-pointers and 11-of-15 from the free-throw line.

Carmona led the way with 15 points, knocking down three from behind the arc. Torres had a season-high 14 points, which included four trifectas. Jasani Buchanan contributed 13 points, while Alexander's nine points and Bowers eight points all came in the second half.

Coach Stebbins' Take

"Moving forward, we have got to find a way to get better on the defensive glass," said Head Coach Chanda Stebbins. "The second-chance opportunities Daytona State had hurt us."  

Up Next

The Saints will remain on their home floor for a game with Florida State College at Jacksonville on Wednesday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m.