FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Saint Leo University women's basketball team dropped its Wednesday night road contest against the No. 23 ranked Nova Southeastern University by a 69-55 final score at the NSU Arena.

With the loss, the Lions return home with a 6-12 overall record with a 1-7 tally in Sunshine State Conference play while the Sharks improve to 14-4 and 6-2 in SSC action.

Freshman Mary Redmond posted a career-high 18 points with four scores beyond the arc.  Guard Chachi Guzman turned a 13-point performance while adding four each of assists and steals.

Senior Melissa Jackson added 12 points for the Green and Gold, grabbing seven boards to round out the Saint Leo charge.

NSU jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the opening stanza as the Lions gathered some momentum.  The Green and Gold turned to freshman Redmond, as the guard scored the first five points for Saint Leo.  Guzman bridged the gap with a pair of three-pointers in the late minutes of the first stanza as the Lions ended the frame trailing by a 29-19 margin.

Jackson rallied in the second half, scoring 10 points for the Lions.  Redmond added 13 after the break to lead the squad, however the Lions were unable to match the offense of the Sharks. 

Guard Jessica Valley led the Sharks, grabbing 11 rebounds while scoring 10 points and dishing out six assists.  Danielle Robinson shared the game-high with Redmond, netting 18 points for NSU.

Saint Leo will begin the second round of conference play on Saturday, returning home to host Barry University at 2:00 p.m. in the Marion Bowman Activities Center.

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.