Tampa, FL- The Saints traveled down to Tampa to face the 6-8 (2-4 in conference) Hillsborough Community College Hawks hoping to improve on their 6-7 (2-4 in conference) record.  Although they were hoping to steal an important road win from the Hawks, the Hawks showed no sign of slowing down.  The Hawks played at a fast tempo, shot the ball well, and rebounded even better allowing many second and third chance attempts.  They did this consistently as the Saints struggled to keep pace in the end.

How It Happened

Khaleah Douglas started things off with a triple for the Saints.  Refusing to loose pace Asnate Gerke figured to do the same by hitting a triple for the Hawks.  Both teams traded baskets with the advantage going to the Hawks as they took a 24-17 lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter the Hawks extended their lead by stepping up their defensive pressure and forcing the Saints to turn the ball over even more.  Ta'Niya Walker provided a much needed spark off the bench as she was able to produce necessary offense.  In no time at all she had made two baskets while getting fouled.  She made one of the two attempts from the line producing a three point play.  However, the Saints were still down by a sizeable margin with time running out in the first half.  Aissatou Diallo hit a triple with less than 2 minutes left in the half to help bring the Saints within striking distance of the lead. 

The Hawks continued to play tough in the secoond half.  The Saints were able to go on a couple of 5 point runs helping them to cut the lead down to 64-57 by the end of the third quarter.  Early in the fourth quarter the score was as close as 64-60 (Hawks).  As the Hawks were able to force back to back turnovers on the Saints, they also out hustled and out rebounded them down the stretch which proved to be the difference in the game.  The final score was 80-66 (Hawks).

Comments From Coach Jackson

"Today's game boiled down to who wanted it more and Hillborough did the little things like diving on the floor for loose balls, getting extra possessions, going to the offensive glass, etc.  It's all about EFFORT, ENERGY, EXECUTION, and unfortunately today we weren't able to sustain those things."

Up Next

The Saints will face Florida Southwester State College on January 23 5pm at home.