GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Santa Fe women's basketball made the most of their final home game, knocking off St. Petersburg in overtime, 85-77.

The game was a "Pink Out" for Cancer Awareness, and the Saints also welcomed back several alumni, who were treated to a thriller in SF's first overtime game this season.

First Quarter – SF 13, SPC 11

The game began with each team's offense slightly out of sorts, but the players settled in.

The first quarter had three ties, and the Saints held a lead as large as five points on two separate occasions.

Malea Brown notched seven first quarter points, showing signs of a big day ahead.

Second Quarter – SF 39, SPC 27

The trend continued in the second quarter, as Brown exploded offensively to help the Saints to a 12-point halftime lead over the Titans.

A 12-3 run gave SF their largest lead of the game, 37-21, with 1:34 on the clock. Brown had seven points during that run, and moments later, put in the final basket of the half.

When the halftime whistle blew, Brown had already tied a career-high with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 2-of-5 from downtown, and 3-of-5 from the stripe.

Third Quarter – SF 53. SPC 47

St. Petersburg started to chip into the deficit, and got as close as four points, but Aleisha Curry's bucket in the paint pushed it back up to six as the team's headed to the fourth.

Fourth Quarter – SF 71, SPC 71

The Titans wouldn't go away and tied it at 59-59 with 5:25 left to play.

The final minutes of regulation were full of twists and turns, as each team countered one another and left the outcome to come down to the final moments.

SF trailed 68-67 as the clock went under a minute, but Taniah Bowers went coast-to-coast down the right side for a driving lay-in.

The Titans responded with a second-chance stickback to go back in front 70-69.

After an empty possession, SF was forced to foul. SPC split the pair, and SF called a timeout to advance the ball with five seconds left.

Bowers once again came up with the goods, as the Saints executed a nice play on the left baseline to get the quick Bowers free for the tying layup before the horn.

Overtime – SF 85, SPC 77

The overtime was dominated by both Bowers (eight points) and Brown (four points), as the Saints outscored the Titans 14-6 in the final five minutes.

Leading 79-77 with about two minutes remaining, SF scored the final six points of the game and played great defense.

Brown had two free-throws, and Bowers did as well. The final basket in the waning moments came from Bowers to ice it.

Key Statistics

SF went 24-of-29 from the free-throw line, making the most of the trips to the stripe.

Brown and Bowers each finished with career-high marks.

Brown had a dazzling 36 points on 14-of-24 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. The program record for points in a game was 42, and Brown flirted with the number in an outstanding performance from the true freshman guard. She added nine rebounds and three steals.

Bowers' career-high consisted of 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 10-of-12 from the foul line. She also led the team with six assists.

Aleisha Curry had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the line.

Up Next

Santa Fe (13-13, 5-6 Central) has one more game left in the regular season, at Daytona State on Monday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m.

The Saints are still alive for an automatic berth to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament with both a win over the Falcons and a Daytona State defeat to FSCJ on Tuesday.