WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Despite threatening in the second half, the Saint Leo women's basketball team dropped its regional matchup against Palm Beach Atlantic University by a 76-63 score on Saturday evening.
PBA improves to 5-6 on the season while the visiting Lions depart Rubin Arena with a 4-3 record.
The Green and Gold was led by tandem Melissa Jackson and Maggie Flynn as the duo totaled 18 and 16 points, respectively. Senior Jackson shot 7-for-12, reaching double-digits in points for the seventh consecutive game.
Pacing the pair was guard Monique Bunk, as the junior tallied a career-high 10 assists while also scoring six points and pulling down four rebounds.
The Sailfish turned to Nkiru Anyagaligbo, as the guard amassed 16 points to lead her squad. Taylor Buchanan followed with 13 points in the win.
Jackson led the Saint Leo offense in the opening half, scoring the first eight points for the Lions. The forward finished the first stanza with a game-high 10 points while also grabbing four boards. Palm Beach Atlantic led heading into the break, 41-19 as the Sailfish used a balanced-offensive effort to earn the lead. PBA guard Anyagaligbo scored nine points and had five rebounds in the first half of play.
Saint Leo bridged the gap in the second half, as Flynn caught fire to score 14 points coming out of the break. The Lions shrunk the PBA lead to 10 points with over two minutes remaining in the contest but the Sailfish pulled away, ending with a 76-63 victory.
The Green and Gold will return home to face the University of the Sciences on Tuesday, Dec. 16th. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be provided for the 5:30 p.m. contest, head to www.saintleolions.com for game coverage.
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
