Preview: Eastern Florida State Titans at Santa Fe Saints

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Eastern Florida State Titans look to snap a two-game skid when they visit the Santa Fe Saints in a men’s junior college basketball matchup Saturday.

The Titans (8-5) enter the contest following a 79-72 home loss to Miami Dade on Wednesday. They also fell 96-83 at Daytona State on Jan. 3. Santa Fe (4-3) is coming off a 78-63 home loss to Daytona State on Wednesday, which halted a two-game winning streak.

A key focus for the Saints will be containing Eastern Florida State forward Sean Register Jr., who has been a dominant force. In the loss to Miami Dade, Register posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. He is averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds over his last three games where he saw significant playing time, including a 27-point, 18-rebound performance in a win over Gordon State on Dec. 15.

For Eastern Florida State, support for Register has come from Joviel Acevedo-Arroyo, who also had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against Miami Dade, and Tyson Wilson, who added 11 points and four assists.

Santa Fe’s recent results have been mixed. Prior to the loss to Daytona State, the Saints earned an 83-78 road win at Polk State on Jan. 3. They also have a 20-point road victory over Albany Tech (89-65) on Dec. 13 this season.

This game marks the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams. They are scheduled to play again at Eastern Florida State on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

For the Titans, this begins a critical stretch of conference play. They will travel to face Florida Southwestern State on Jan. 14 before returning home to host Hillsborough on Jan. 17. Santa Fe continues its homestand, hosting Miami Dade on Jan. 17 before a road game at Hillsborough on Jan. 21.

Saturday’s tip-off is set for 4 p.m. EST at Santa Fe College.