SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team (12-3, 3-2 SSC) defeated the visiting Florida Southern Moccasins (4-10, 0-5 SSC) by a 79-66 score in Sunshine State Conference action, Wednesday night from the Marion Bowman Center. The win positions the squad just two wins away from only the second winning season in program history.
Despite a close first half that gave the Lions just a one-point lead heading into the halftime period, the squad was able to break away in the second half to take home a 13-point victory.
Despite the offensive surge in the second period, the Lions' true effort came defensively, as Saint Leo forced a total of 15 Florida Southern turnovers and collected 32 defensive rebounds in the win. In addition, the squad notched seven blocks and tallied six steals.
It was senior Chelsea Connelly who led the Lions' offensive attack in the second half, notching 17 points on the evening to lead all scorers. Senior Chelsea Williams tacked on another 15 points, while senior Teresa Manigrasso logged ten, and sophomore point guard Chachi Guzman tallied nine.
Defensively, the team boasted six players who collected two or more rebounds, with the best performance coming from senior Keishara Green, who pulled down 11 on the night.
The Lions will return to action on Wednesday, January 22 when they host the Eckerd College Tritons in yet another Sunshine State Conference battle. Tipoff will occur promptly at 5:30 pm in the Marion Bowman Center on the campus of Saint Leo University.
For more on the Saint Leo women's basketball team, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and 'Follow' Saint Leo Athletics on Twitter and Instagram.
