SAINT LEO, Fla. – After trailing by as many as 22 points, the Saint Leo University women's basketball team mounted a strong comeback attempt, but ultimately fell short to Palm Beach Atlantic University by a 69-66 final score, Saturday afternoon in the Marion Bowman Activities Center.
The Lions fall to 6-11 on the season while the visiting Sailfish improve to 7-14 after stifling the Saint Leo comeback.
Junior Chachi Guzman netted 21 points, scoring 15 in the second half. The guard added five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block in her team-leading performance. Freshman Mary Redmond helped close the gap, scoring 12 points, including four baskets from beyond the arc.
Senior Melissa Jackson notched her Sunshine State Conference-leading, eighth double-double of the season behind a dominating 18 points and 17 rebounds. The forward totaled nearly half of the team's 36 boards.
The Lions bench provided 35 points across the contest with Redmond and Guzman posting 26 combined after the halftime break. The duo was responsible for all but two of the teams bench scores.
The Green and Gold offense was unable to build momentum in the opening minutes, trailing PBA 25-10 at the 10-minute mark. Jackson rallied the Lions behind 12 points to stop the bleeding, ending the first stanza with a 17-point deficit.
Head coach Missy West quickly regrouped her offense as the scoring trio of Guzman, Jackson and Redmond pulled the Lions to a tied margin of 65-65 with 33 seconds remaining in regulation. Redmond bridged the gap with a trio of three-pointers before Jackson gave the Green and Gold its first lead of the contest after converting a free throw. The forward dominated the paint, grabbing 12 rebounds in the second half.
Palm Beach Atlantic was led by Janelle Cannon as the guard posted 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the victory. Fellow guard Denisa Domiterova added 12 points and three rebounds to compliment the effort of Cannon.
Saint Leo will travel to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to resume SSC play, facing Nova Southeastern University on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Live stats as well a live video webcast will be made available through www.saintleolions.com courtesy of the Sharks.
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.
