St. Petersburg Women’s Basketball Takes over Santa Fe – ESPN 98.1 FM
On Wednesday, the Santa Fe Saints faced their conference rivals, the St. Petersburg Titans. The Titans took an early lead and ran with it for the entire game, winning 78-55.
First half
The Titans started strong and put on an early 8-0 run. While the Saints struggled for a few stops on the defensive side, they struggled to capitalize on the other side of the floor. Saints guard Malea Brown tried to give her team a boost of energy, hitting back three steps. The Saints bench remained heavily involved, cheering for their teammates on the pitch. Running through their half-court sets and pushing the ball in quick breaks, the Titans led 23-14 by the end of the first quarter. As the Saints struggled to recover, they fought for every free ball. The two teams went back and into fourth, and as the Saints tried to find a rhythm, Titans Olivia Delancy knocked down a deep three. The Saints fought on, cutting the Titans’ lead down to just six. That didn’t last, however, as the half ended with the Titans leading 43-31.
Second half
The Saints started the second half with more offensive presence as they worked through their strides for better shot selection. On the defensive side, they focused more on fundamentals, playing with high hands and completing shots. Saints guard Selah Reddick worked both sides of the court, grabbing steals and converting them into easy transition shots. However, Titans guard Jaylen Ponder responded with a three and hit a floater. Unfortunately, the Titans proved too much as they continued to break through defenses and rebounded the Saints. Throughout the game, the Saints transitioned from man marking to a 2-3 and a 3-2 zone and attempted a 1-2-2. However, nothing seemed to work. As the third quarter drew to a close, the Titans were leading 61-42, extending their lead by 19.
The Titans continued to dominate and took over the fourth quarter. St. Petersburg ended the game in a 78-55 win, finishing the game with four players scoring in double figures. The Titans also finished with 57 rebounds, surpassing the Saints by 21. Delancy led the team in both categories, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. With this win, the Titans improved their record to 18-7 with a 6-1 conference record.
On the other hand, the Saints fall to 10-13 and fall to 2-5 in conference play. Brown led the team with 17 goals while Joey Delancy had the most rebounds with eight. The team wants to move forward and focus on the next game against Daytona State College.
Santa Fe head coach Chanda Stebbins’ post-game interview
