ST. PETERSBURG 73, CF WOMEN 70: After battling back from a 19-point deficit with 13:27 left to tie things up, the Patriots allowed a wide-open 3-pointer by St. Petersburg's Amanda Mendoza with 6.3 seconds for the go-ahead basket.
After the 3-pointer by Mendoza, there was a collison on the ensuing inbounds pass, which resulted in an offensive foul and two free throws for the TItans, as CF was in the double-bonus for fouls.
SPC was unable to convert either foul shot, but the Patriots were unable to travel the length of the floor with 4.3 seconds and failed to get a shot off.
CF trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half and was down by 15 at halftime, before it scored 16 consecutive points to get back into the game.
The Patriots, though, never led in the game and managed to tie the Titans on four occasions.
Mendoza, who scored just six points in the game, was left wide-open on the left elbow and drained the winning basket.
CF was led by Thais Oliveira, who scored 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked eight shots. Oliveira made 10-of-14 shots for the Patriots, who made 15-of-31 from the floor after halftime.
Quira Demery contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds for CF, while Marcella Rocha scored 13 points and dished out five assists.
The Patriots, though, were done in by 24 turnovers that led to 22 points for SPC (1-4).
CF also made just 17-of-28 shots from the foul line and 3-of-13 from beyond the arc.
The Titans jumped out to a 12-2 lead and held a double-digit lead from the 15:50 mark of the first half until the 10:39 mark of the second half.
Oliveira, who scored 17 of her points after halftime, led the comeback for CF.
She teamed with Rocha, who scored 10 points in the second half, to help pull the Patriots even for the first time with 6:28 left.
CF would tie the Titans on three more occasions, but the visitors made enough plays to avenge a loss to the Patriots in Ocala last season.
The Lady Patriots are back on the court this Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) in a shootout at Daytona State College.