DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 21 Daytona State College pulled away in the final minute to edge out visiting Santa Fe College men's basketball, 96-88.

The Saints had their chance to knock off the Falcons in the season's first matchup, but instead fell to 3-2 in Central Conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The game was tied on three occasions in the first half, but Santa Fe led by as many as nine points in the early going and never trailed in the first 16 minutes of play.

Trailing 36-33, the Falcons were able to go on a 14-5 run to conclude the half and hold a 47-41 lead.

It didn't take long in the second half for Santa Fe to work themselves right back into it, however, and regained a 52-51 lead after Kordell Brown's basket inside at the 15:45 mark.

The game seesawed back and forth and was up-tempo all the way until the final minute, and the game was tied for the 11th time at 88-88 with 1:03 on the clock.

The Falcons took a one-point lead with a free-throw, and the Saints turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and DSC got an easy basket in transition to lead 91-88.

Jalen Speer attempted to tie the game with a three-pointer as the clock went under 20 seconds, but the attempt missed its mark and the defensive rebound was controlled by the Falcons, forcing SF to foul.

Although DSC split a pair of free-throws, an offensive rebound forced SF to foul once again, and the hosts went on for the deceptive eight point victory in a game that truly came down to the final possessions.

UPDATED RECORDS

Santa Fe – 11-8, 3-2 Central

No. 21 Daytona State – 17-3, 4-1 Central

KEY STATISTICS

The Saints shot 50 percent from the field and held Daytona State to under 40 percent, but the play of Jacob Crews in particular carried the No. 21 Falcons to the victory.

DSC also held a significant edge in the rebounding category, 50-40, and 25 of the 50 Falcons' rebounds came on the offensive end to create second-chance opportunities.

Each team had eight three-pointers, and both shot the ball well from the free-throw line. Daytona State went 16-of-19, and Santa Fe was 18-of-21.

Cole Deptula was Santa Fe's leading scorer, sinking six three-pointers for 18 points, 15 of which were in the second half. The six triples were a career-high for Deptula and he tied his career-high with the 18 points.

Nikolaos Noumeros went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line to finish with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Brown produced 15 points and six rebounds, Jalen Speer had a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 11 assists, while Nigel Martin and Nasir Mann each put in 11 points.

UP NEXT

The Saints (11-8, 3-2 Central) will host FSCJ on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Tipoff time is set for 7:30 p.m. on Career Service Appreciation Night inside the SF Gymnasium for faculty and staff.