SAINT LEO, Fla. – Sparked by a trio of Lions scoring in double-figures, and overcoming as much as a nine-point deficit, the Saint Leo University women’s basketball team (3-3) defeated the Flagler College Saints, 65-56, Tuesday evening from the Marion Bowman Activities Center.
The non-region match-up saw Brittany Carannante go 4-for-8 from behind the three-point line in tallying a game-best 17 points, all in the second half. Lauren Lee added 15 points in the win, while Chelsea Williams registered the first double-double of her career scoring 12 points, in addition to a career-best 13 rebounds.
The Lions connected on nearly 42 percent of their shots (26-for-62), and held a significant advantage in the rebound department, 49-27. The Green & Gold also received an outstanding effort from the bench, outscoring the Saints 30-10. Key in the Lions win was their play in the second half, as they shot 71.4 percent from behind the three-point line, and made 19-of-35 field goals in total.
It was a shaky start for the Lions, as they found themselves down five after the first four minutes of the game. The Lions nearly pulled even as Chanele Patton connected on a jumper with 13:17 left in the first half to pull within one, 9-8.
The one point cushion ballooned to nine when the Saints went on a 12-4 run. Five different scorers tallied the points for Flagler as they took to a 23-14 lead with 8:35 to go in the first period.
Slowly, the Lions mounted a comeback over the final eight minutes. In the run, Williams began to dominate the paint as she scored three consecutive baskets to help Saint Leo close the half on a 10-4 rally.
Directly out of the locker room, a fourth basket by Williams soon gave the Lions their first lead of the game, 28-27.
It was evident though that the half belonged to Carannante as she heated up behind the three-point arc. Her first three-pointer came with 16:04 to go and gave the Lions a 33-31 advantage. Another Carannante three-point basket a minute later helped spark Saint Leo to a 13-0 run.
Holding a game-best 12 point lead with 12:49 to go, Saint Leo kept a double-digit lead until the Saints pushed with their final run at the 6:12 mark.
Over the next three minutes, Flagler shrank the 10-point lead to just three, 52-49. Following a Saint Leo 30 second timeout, the Lions managed to get back on track. With Flagler momentum slowed, the Lions displayed poise from the line, as they went 7-of-8 over the final 1:30 to clinch the nine point win.
Sunshine State Conference action is up next for the Lions, as they will travel to Melbourne, Fla. to take on the Florida Tech Panthers to open SSC play. Tip-off for the women’s game is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Clemente Center. The Lions swept Panthers in 2009-10 and currently have a three-game winning streak over their cross-state rivals.
