FORT MYERS, Fla. – Santa Fe Women's Basketball had a stiff test on the road against No. 19 Florida Southwestern on Friday evening, and despite a second-half push from the Saints, the Bucs went on for a 75-57 victory.

First Quarter – FSW 24, SF 15

The game's first ten points went to the Bucs, but the Saints stopped the run with a three-pointer from Selah Reddick.

Reddick would hit two more triples in the remainder of the first quarter, helping keep SF close by scoring nine of the Saints' 15 points in the stanza. 

Second Quarter – FSW 45, SF 33

The two sides continued to find offensive success from the perimeter. The Saints cut their deficit to as low as six points, 31-25, after a Kelli Cunningham three.

The Bucs responded, however, with a 9-0 run to establish a 40-25 lead.

Trifectas from Malea Brown and Isabella Reynolds late in the half helped cut the gap back down to a dozen at the halftime whistle.

Third Quarter – FSW 59, SF 51

Although the FSW lead grew to 17 early in the second half, the Saints stayed the course.

A basket from Aleisha Curry brought SF to within single digits for the first time in the half, 56-48.

Taniah Bowers' crafty reverse layup was the final basket of the quarter, off a nice pass from Reddick, and the Saints were well-within striking distance headed into the final ten minutes of play.

Fourth Quarter – FSW 75, SF 57

The difference was still eight early in the fourth, when FSW went on an 11-2 run to put the game out of reach.

The Saints' offense went into a cold spell, and the comeback was not meant to be in the third loss of the 2021-2022 season.

Key Statistics

The Saints faced an uphill battle all night long and never led.

SF outrebounded the Bucs 47-44, and 19 rebounds came on the offensive end to provide second-chance opportunities for the Saints.

After hitting seven three-pointers in the opening half, SF went cold from behind the arc and made just one long ball over the game's final 20 minutes.

Three Saints finished the game with double-digits in scoring, led by a season-high 16 from Reddick on 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Brown also had a season-high with 11 points to go along with six assists, while Curry finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds for her third double-double this season. Bowers added 11 rebounds from the backcourt.  

Up Next

Santa Fe (1-3, 0-0 Central) remains in Fort Myers, Fla. to play Miami Dade College in the Florida Southwestern Women's Basketball Classic on Saturday, Nov. 13 at noon.