SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women’s basketball team (9-13, 1-10 SSC) could not overcome 23 turnovers they dropped its Sunshine State Conference tilt to Nova Southeastern University, 66-52, Saturday evening from the Bowman Center.
In the loss, senior guard Jamarra Robinson collected a career-high 18 points. In addition, Robinson also led the team in assists with five. Two others also posted double figures as freshman Chelsea Connelly registered a career-best 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Lauren Lee hit the double-digit plateau for the 17th-time this season as she chipped in an additional 10.
In their best shooting night since their win over Eckerd, the Lions netted 39.2 percent (20-for-51) of their shots. Unfortunately, the Sharks countered with precision shooting as they scored 42 points in the paint and shot 46.3 percent from the floor. Also aiding the Sharks in their win were 23 Lions’ turnovers, in addition to holding a 42 -25 rebounding margin.
The Lions started the game out on a 4-0 run. Robinson then extended the lead to 7-4 on a layup with 17:11 remaining. The Sharks, however, countered the Lions quick start with a 23-5 run that spanned the next 13 minutes of the first half, gaining a 16-point advantage.
The run eventually put the Lions down 15 points going into the halftime break.
The hot shooting continued out of the locker room for the Sharks as their lead quickly ballooned to 24 behind the precision shooting of Stephanie Sarosi.
Still, the Lions believed they could make a run and soon began chipping away at what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.
In fact, the Lions went on a 22-8 run to cut the lead down to as little as 10 with six minutes to play. Connelly and Robinson led the charge for the Lions as they combined to score 13 points over the span, including four layups.
Unfortunately for Lions’ fans, the team could get no closer to the Sharks as they held Saint Leo to just four points over the final five minutes.
The win gives NSU the season sweep over Saint Leo.
The Lions will return to action on Wednesday, February 9 when they travel to Lakeland, Fla. to take on rivals Florida Southern. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
