Santa Fe College Men’s Basketball Falls To Florida Gateway

The Santa Fe College Saints couldn’t claw their way back into Wednesday night’s men’s basketball matchup vs. the Florida Gateway College Timberwolves before losing 90-70.

Down Early

This game got too far out of hand early for the Saints (1-4). While having about equal-shot volume, it felt like the Timberwolves (4-1) couldn’t miss in the first half.

Shot after shot rained down, forcing Santa Fe College to play catch-up. Whether you’re a believer in the “hot hand” phenomenon or not, it got to a point where every FGC attempt almost felt destined to fall.

Esrael Yant’s silky smooth jump shot led the Wolves first-half explosion with 17 points. The visitors shot out to a 59-35 lead after 20.

Halftime Adjustments

Out of halftime, Santa Fe jumped on a slew of Florida Gateway mistakes. SFC cashed in a bunch of points off forced turnovers. The Timberwolves’ shooting splits finally came back down to earth. By midway through the second half, they were able to turn a 24-point deficit into a 12-point one.

The main offensive throughline for the Saints comeback was Karmello Branch. The sophomore guard tacked on 15 of Santa Fe College’ final 20 points in the contest, near singlehandedly willing his group back into what was becoming a blowout. He finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Branch was forced out of the game after an awkward landing late in the half. With that, any momentum the Saints were gaining was swiftly crushed.

While Branch would check back into the game after a few minutes, it would be too little too late for the home squad. Florida Gateway pulled away for the victory in Gainesville.

Up Next

The Saints are back in action at home at 6 p.m. Friday against Pasco Hernandez State College (2-2).