Women's Basketball Earns 69-65 Win at No. 20 St. Petersburg
March 27, 2021

Women's Basketball Earns 69-65 Win at No. 20 St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Santa Fe women's basketball went on the road and handed No. 20 St. Petersburg their first Central Conference loss of the season, as the Saints were able to close out the Titans, 69-65. 
 
First Quarter – SPC 25, SF 17
The Titans established an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter on their home floor.
 
Zoé Alexander had six first quarter points for the Saints.
 
Second Quarter – SPC 38, SF 34
Santa Fe outscored St. Petersburg 17-13 going into halftime, cutting their deficit in half to trail by just four. 
 
Taniah Bowers had seven points to pace the SF offense. 
 
Third Quarter – SF 53, SPC 50
The Saints scored the first five points of the second half to take a 39-38 lead, and were still in front when the third quarter ran out, 53-50. 
 
Santa Fe connected on three triples in the quarter. Alexander continued to give the Titans' defense problems, netting 11 third quarter points.
 
Fourth Quarter – SF 69, SPC 65
A key 8-0 run gave SF a double-digit lead, 61-51, capped off by a Jasani Buchanan layup over a defender.
 
Santa Fe's lead was five, 66-61, with about two and a half minutes to play. With St. Petersburg looking for a basket, they had a possession with numerous offensive rebounds. Peris Starks, however, stayed strong defensively and came down with a defensive rebound.
 
The next few possessions for each team were frenetic, but the Saints' lead still remained at five, 68-63, with a little over 30 seconds on the clock.
 
The Titans got a steal and had an opportunity for a layup on the other end, but it went awry. SF was fouled and hit one of two from the free-throw, and although two St. Petersburg free-throws were added in the final seconds, the Saints came out on top for their fifth win of the season and fourth in Central Conference play. 
 
Key Statistics
Alexander finished with a dominant double-double, contributing 24 points and ten rebounds. Bowers went 6-of-8 from the floor and finished with 15 points.
 
Coach Stebbins' Take
"I am very proud of this team for continuing to fight and not quitting when they don't perform as well as they want to," said Stebbins. "This season hasn't been easy with many unplanned challenges, and it was nice to see them play to their full potential."
 
Up Next
Santa Fe (5-14, 4-10 CC) concludes the season on Monday, March 29 at Eastern Florida State College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. 
Video Box Score

Team Stats