Gainesville, FL- The Saints won a thriller against Palm Beach State College who proved to be a tough opponent by a score of 77-72.  Early on in the first half, the Panthers pounced on the Saints by hitting eight three pointers and diplaying tough defense.  Leading the way for the Panthers, was sophomore F/C Cody Forbes, who made four 3 point shots of his own.  Sophomore G/F Ashton Lovette and freshman F/C Predrag Punisic each scored 7 points in the first half as the Saints trailed by 16 points at halftime.

In the second half the Saints showed their strong determination and grit by going on a big scoring run to establish their presence back in the game.  Macius Trowe threw down a big-time dunk that electrified the crowd and sparked the momentum for the Saints.  Trowe was also 7-7 from the free-throw line starting a trend for the team and showing big improvement after struggling from the line in Thursday's match.  Ashton Lovette scored 11 points in the second half and finished as the games leading scorer (18 points).  The Saint's effort helped to cool down the Panthers hot first half start by holding them to 27 second half points.  Sophomore guard Cameron Wilson scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half for the Panthers.  

The Saints free throw prowess and energy in the second half guided them to a close victory, bouncing back from their loss against Florida Gateway College.  This improves their record to 5-1.

Coach Mowry's Comments

"This was a really good win for us and I'm really proud of our guys effort.  Palm Beach State was exceptional in the first half, shot really well from the three point line, and forced a lot of turnovers.  During halftime we talked about taking better care of the basketball and making the easy shots we were missing around the basket in the first half.  We also emphasized communication on defense.  We came out in the second half and guarded really well which gave us an opportunity to get some looks in transition.  We took much better care of the basketball, which allowed us to get more shots up.  The guys really played hard and gritty and shot well from the free throw line".

Notables

-Leading Scorers

• Ashton Lovette (18 points)
• Macius Trowe (15 points)
• Predrag Panisic (14 points)
• Kevin Pazmino (10 points)