Tampa, FL- In another early season conference match the Santa Fe Saints faced-off against Hillsborough Community College.  The Hawks entered the contest at 14-2 (2-1 in Conference).  The Saints enter the contest hoping to get a conference win.  Their record sat at an even 8-8 (0-2 in conference).  As they have been all season, the Saints battled hard against the Hawks, but weren't able to regain momentum over the Hawks after being ahead early on.  The Hawks stayed ahead most of the game as they were relentless on the glass and shot the ball well from the floor.

How It Happened 

From the start of the game both teams displayed tremedous athleticsism.  Pedrag Panisic hit the ground running scoring the first 4 points for the Saints.  Both shots were spectacuar turnaround jumpers.  Camerin James drove the ball inside the paint and finished it with a strong slam helping to establish the tempo for the Hawks early on.  

Both teams traded baskets fairly evenly until about halfway through the first half when the Hawks began to slowly increase their lead.  With 2:30 left in the first half, the Hawks went on a 5 point run to increase their lead to 35-21.  After returning from a timeout, the Hawks increased their defensive pressure on the Saints as they continued to provide different defensive sets to keep the Saints off-balance.

In the second half the Saints were led by Predrag Panisic, Karmello Branch and Tre Munson.  Each hit triples to help cut down on the lead.  The Saints also made a series of defensive stops, but time was not on their side.  The Hawks remained consistent down the stretch to close out the game atop the Saints.  The final score was 66-57 (Hawks). 

Comments From Coach Mowry

"Hillsborough played well tonight.  Defensively, they kept us off balance switching between man to man and their 2-3 zone.  After losing their top scorer early in the game, MacKrey and James carried them on offense with help from a couple of guys off the bench.  We needed to be tougher on defense, take better care of the ball on offense and knock down a few more shots.  Harvey, Tre and Karmello gave us a  boost off the bench, but it wasn't enough."

Next Up

The Saints will face Polk State on January 20th 2pm at home.