Santa Fe Takes Down Tallahassee in Controlling Fashion, Winning 76-60 – ESPN 98.1 FM

By: Nicholas Diaz, Jackson Reyes, Josiah Caswell

The Santa Fe Women’s basketball team took care of business Tuesday night, getting back on track after a loss to Gulf Coast State College. They won in convincing fashion, earning their third win of the year and second this season over Tallahassee Community College.

The Game

Santa Fe came out of the gates rolling on the defensive side of the ball, holding TCC to only 10 points in the first quarter. The Eagles failed to shoot the ball effectively in this game and finished with a 28% field goal percentage. The Saints finished the first quarter up 20-10, and never looked back. 

The Eagles picked up the energy in the second quarter, playing lockdown defense and seemingly controlling the pace of the game. TCC’s ability to draw and hit free throws brought them back into the game, getting within six points midway through the quarter. However, their struggles shooting the ball continued, allowing the Saints to maintain the lead. Santa Fe overcame a burst of energy from the Eagles, finishing off the half with a 40-28 lead. 

Santa Fe came out of the locker room on fire to start the second half, pushing the lead to 19 early in the third. They dominated the glass snatching 26 offensive rebounds, helping them down the Eagles. Every chance TCC had to come back in this game was met with another second chance opportunity for Santa Fe. 

The Saints were clicking on both offense and defense, ending the third quarter up 55-40. The fourth quarter wasn’t much different, as the lead grew to as high as 23 points. Santa Fe head coach Chanda Stebbins was able to try out some new rotations towards the end of this one, giving everyone a chance to play. Santa Fe cruised to an easy win, wrapping the game up with a score of 76-60.

The Stats

On the scoring side of the ball, Santa Fe was led by guard Joey Delancy, who finished the game with 19 points on 8-15 shooting. Three players scored in the double digits in addition to a boost of 17 points from the bench. 

Guard Selah Reddick finished the game with the most rebounds for the Saints, ending with 14 total boards. On the season she is averaging 8.8 rebounds a game, as she continued her dominance on the glass Tuesday night. Right behind her was guard Malea Brown with 13 total rebounds. The Saints grabbed 60 boards on the night, well above their average of 46.3. 

Santa Fe forward Trinity Youngblood and guard Malea Brown led the team in assists, both finishing with five a piece. The Saints repeatedly found the open player, and as a result dished out 19 assists, eight above their average of 11 on the season. This was a balanced attack from the Saints, and it resulted in a dominant performance from them.

Looking Ahead

With the win, the Saints move to 3-2 on the year and look to carry momentum into their next game, against Miami Dade College. Santa Fe takes on the Sharks Friday as the team will hope to get to 4-2.