SAINT LEO, Fla. – Concluding the Saint Leo Classic presented by Sleep Inn, the women's basketball team trounced the University of Montevallo, Saturday afternoon by a 77-40 final score.
The Lions begin the season a perfect 2-0 while the Falcons return home 0-2.
"I am happy to come out of this weekend with two wins. I thought we really buckled down on the defensive end only allowing 14 points in the first half and 26 in the second," said head coach Missy West. "We knew going into this game, they had some pretty athletic guards that we had to shut down in order to get this victory. I thought we did a good job of sticking to the game plan and executing."
Freshman Mary Redmond scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Lions. The newly minted guard also posted five rebounds and two assists. Seniors Kinnara Lewis and Melissa Jackson each totaled 13 points while the latter spun a double-double with 11 rebounds in addition to two blocks and two assists.
Junior Chachi Guzman tuned the offense with nine assists as the team shot 47.4% from the field. The guard was excellent on defense as well, notching five steals and six rebounds for a rounded performance.
"Melissa Jackson had another great game with her double-double and Mary, hitting some big shots once again but overall it was a complete team effort," said coach West of the team. "Chachi did a much better job this game distributing nine assists, Aaliyah and [Kinnara] always get tough defensive assignments and do their job well."
The Saint Leo defense stifled UM to begin the first game, limiting the Falcons to a meager 3-for-26 in field goals (11.5%). The Green and Gold jumped to a 24-8 lead after Maggie Flynn knocked down a three-pointer, rolling to a 37-14 first half. Redmond and Jackson traded scores to tempo the Lions at the half.
Heading into the second half with an already staggering lead, Saint Leo continued to dismantle the Falcons, extending to a 30-point lead after Lewis scored a layup. The Lions continued the onslaught to win the game by a 77-40 final tally.
The Lions will continue the season, welcoming Southeastern University on Thursday, Nov. 20th at 7 p.m.
"We still have a lot of work to do but to start this way is a positive. The fundamentals, the willingness to get after it day in and day out is what's going to get us better. We must continue to focus on the fundamentals"
For more information on the Saint Leo women's basketball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and 'Follow' Saint Leo Athletics on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
