BOCA RATON, Fla. – Coming down to the final seconds of play, the Saint Leo University women's basketball team edged Benedict College, 77-75 to open the Lynn University Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The victory improves the Lions to a 5-4 season tally while the Tigers pick up their first loss of the season and sit 5-1 after the first game of the two-day classic.
Junior Monique Bunk dazzled, scoring a career-high 32 points. The guard was 8-for-12 from the field and scored 14 points from the free throw line. Fellow guard Kinnara Lewis was second on the team with 12 points in the contest.
Senior Melissa Jackson terrorized the Tigers, blocking a career-best seven shots while picking up 10 rebounds and three steals. The Lyon, France native posted her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and was three blocks away from a triple-double outing.
Bunk charted 14 points in the first half of play to pace the Lion offense. Jackson led the defensive tempo, forcing a pair of turnovers while blocking two Benedict shots in the premier stanza. Benedict began the scoring attack, netting a pair of layups in the opening minutes before Bunk began the Lion offense.
The Tigers used their height as an advantage, as forward KaDeeja Vaughn and center Britenique Harrison each scored 14 points in the contest. Benedict outrebounded Saint Leo by a staggering 49 to 27, utilizing a two-guard offense.
The back-and-forth first half saw both teams exchange leads and tie scores before the Tigers began to pull away. Benedict extending its lead to 23-12 over the Green and Gold before Saint Leo began chipping away at the deficit. The Tigers committed 14 fouls in the first half en route to 15 free points for the Lions. Saint Leo limited its turnovers in the first half to six while Benedict lacked ball control, allowing 13 turnovers, seven forced by steals for the Lions.
Saint Leo battled down to the final minutes of play, taking the lead and forcing three tie scores. The Lions scored 21 points off of turnovers while forcing 23 total on the afternoon matchup.
The Lions will continue their weekend with a Sunday afternoon matchup against Johnson C. Smith at 12 p.m. to conclude the Lynn University Women's Basketball Tournament. Live stats and video links will be available at www.saintleolions.com.
For more information on the Saint Leo women's basketball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
