LAKELAND, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team showed heart and determination in the season opener on Friday afternoon, but a buzzer-beater from Clark Atlanta thwarted the Lions' come-back, falling 79-78 in the season opener in the SSC/SIAC Challenge on the campus of Florida Southern College.
The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo fell to Clark Atlanta, 79-78.
Location: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 0-1 | Clark Atlanta 1-0
How It Happened
1Q | The Lions controlled the opening quarter, taking as much as a seven-point lead. They finished the opener with a 15-10 lead, behind five points from freshman Izabell Skoogh. | SLU 15 CAU 10 |
2Q | The CAU Panthers went on a 6-0 run to open the period, taking a 16-15 lead. Both teams bounced back and forth, taking ties at 19, 26, 28, 30, and 33, before the Panthers hit a jumper with one second remaining. | SLU 33 CAU 35 |
3Q | The Panthers came out strong out of the halftime intermission, going on a 11-2 run to open the third. CAU was able to keep the Lions at bay, but a nine-point quarter from Senior Chachi Guzman kept the Lions in it. Following a Guzman lay-up, the Lions brought the score within two points, 48-46, with just under two minutes remaining. In the final minute, the Panthers went on a 5-2 run to close the period. | SLU 48 CAU 54 |
4Q | Opening the fourth quarter, the SIAC opponent started where they left off in the third, taking an 15-point lead with 4:55 left to play in the game. Junior Chelsy Springs scored 11-straight points for the lions, bringing the Panthers lead down to seven. With 2:27 left to play, Saint Leo head coach Missy West called a time-out that changed the direction of the game. The Lions slowly started mounting their comeback. With 30-seconds left, the Lions trailed by five following two Guzman free throws, and then a Guzman three cut the lead to just two, 76-74, with 25-seconds left to play. West called another time out, drawing up a play to tie the game. The play gave Springs the ball, who sunk the lay-up, tying the game at 76 with 17-seconds left to play. The Panthers took a one-point lead on a free throw, but with six seconds left to play, Guzman sunk two free throws, giving the Lions a 78-77 lead. CAU followed with a time out, and out of the break, the Panthers got the game-winning buzzer beater from Mykala Jones, stalling the Lions comeback. | SLU 78 CAU 79|
Points to Note
- Three different Lions scored in double digits. Newcomer Springs tallied a team-high 22 points in her first game as a Lion, adding five rebounds and two blocks. Guzman followed with 16 points, adding a team-best four assists. Freshman Asia Royster recorded 10 points.
- Junior Alysia Johnson snagged a team-high nine rebounds.
- Saint Leo shot an impressive 50.8-percent from the field, and held the Panthers to just 36-percent from the field.
For the Panthers
- CUA had four different players in double-digits, led by Jones with 21. Sydni Davis added 17, while Siera Bubb tallied 15. Rounding out the four was Kiyanna Johnson added 10 off the bench.
- The Panthers converted 25 of 34 free throw attempts, for an impressive 74-percent.
- CUA snagged 15 steals, and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds.
Up next
vs. Paine | 2:00 pm | Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
- The Paine Lions will be another experienced opponent as they list four seniors and four juniors on the roster.
- Paine was picked to finish fourth in the East Division of the SIAC, including earning one first place vote.
- The Paine Lions earned two on the Preseason Team in Janisha Wilkerson and Tannasia Rhodes.
