SAINT LEO, Fla. – Coming down to the final seconds of the game, the Saint Leo University women's basketball team battled the University of Tampa to a 63-61 victory in the Marion Bowman Activities Center on Wednesday evening.
The win avenges the Lions road loss to the Spartans and pushes the Saint Leo season to a 9-15 record with a 4-10 tally in SSC play while the Spartans return home 14-9 (7-6 SSC).
Freshman Mary Redmond rolled to a 17-point outing, shooting a torrid 5-for-6 from three-point territory and a near perfect 6-for-7 on the game. The guard grabbed three rebounds across 21 minutes of play to lead the Lions.
Junior Chachi Guzman provided a 13-point compliment, adding three each of boards and assists. Freshman Maggie Flynn added 12 points to round out the Green and Gold attack. Senior Jakia Grimsley dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds to pace the Lions.
The Spartans were led by junior Juliana Cavallaro and senior Aisha Rodney, as the tandem each scored 22 points on the outing, adding eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
The Lions sped up the tempo early, jumping to a 22-13 lead in the early minutes. The Spartans would rally and pull within four at the end of the first half, Saint Leo leading 32-28. Redmond ended the first half shooting a perfect 3-for-3 for nine total points in the opening stanza. Guzman totaled 10, playing the entire first 20 minutes.
The back-and-forth second half saw four tied scores and four lead changes as each team clawed for advantage. Redmond swayed the momentum in favor of the Lions, proving to be the catalyst in the late minutes by scoring a pair of key three-pointers. The freshman tied the contest at 57-57 with 2:13 left in regulation before draining another trey to take the final lead of the game. Guard Guzman sealed the win, converting three free-throws as the Lions concluded with a 63-61 win over Tampa.
The Green and Gold hit the road to face Eckerd College on Feb. 25th at 5:30 p.m. at the McArthur Center on the St. Petersburg, Fla. campus of the Tritons.
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.
