GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the season's final nonconference game, Santa Fe College men's basketball came down to the wire with Indian River State College (13-4), but the Pioneers were able to return to Fort Pierce with an 86-85 win inside the SF Gymnasium.

Both teams hadn't played since mid-December, but there didn't appear to be too much rust in what was a back-and-forth, fast-paced affair.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Indian River opened up a 30-24 lead in the opening half after a 14-3 run, with most of the offensive production coming from inside the paint.

The Saints would respond though in a big way, rattling off 19 unanswered points to open up a 43-30 advantage with 2:22 on the clock. Jalen Speer had seven points, Nasir Mann had two three-pointers, and Jonathan Renois provided a spark with four points during the run, which lasted for over four minutes of play.

The Pioneers chipped into the deficit headed into halftime, but SF still led 49-43. The Saints had seven three-pointers in the frame and were paced by Speer's 17 points and Mann's 11.

The SF lead reached double-digits on a couple more occasions in the second half, but for all in attendance, it was evident it would be a battle to the final whistle.

The Saints clung to the lead all the way until the Pioneers used a 9-0 spurt to seize an 83-80 edge with just three minutes still to play.

Kordell Brown had a three-pointer from the left corner swish through to knot the game up at 85-85 just as the clock went under two minutes remaining.

After a defensive stop, the Saints and Brown had a runout for what looked to be a contested lay-up in transition, but instead of a goaltending call, IRSC was credited with a block.

Santa Fe's incredulous bench was then handed a technical foul, and the Pioneers hit one of two attempts to go in front 86-85.

The Pioneer's ensuing possession was extended with a couple of offensive rebounds, and the Saints fouled to put Antoine Jacks to the free-throw line for a 1-and-1. He missed it, and the Saints brought the ball down the court to try and find a game-winning bucket.

As the play developed, Speer was the one to launch a heavily contested triple in the waning seconds, and although SF adamantly wanted a foul to be called, the scramble for the loose ball on the rebound concluded the game and handed the Pioneers the 86-85 result.

UPDATED RECORDS

Indian River – 13-4

Santa Fe – 8-6

STATISTICS

Each team had 14 turnovers, and the rebounding battle was a close one as well, 50-48 in favor of the Pioneers.

Indian River's most significant advantage came in the paint, outscoring SF 56-30.

The Saints countered that with 13 triples, however, on 33 attempts.

Speer was the game's leading scorer with 26 points, and he added four assists. Brown and Mann finished with 14 points apiece, while Cole Deptula had 10. Deptula and Brown were the most effective from beyond the arc, draining three.

Nikolaos Noumeros contributed six points and team-highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (5). Off the bench, Renois and Eli Taylor chipped in six points apiece.

UP NEXT

The Saints set their sights on the beginning of Central Conference play. The defending Central Conference champions head to play Florida State College at Jacksonville on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.