DAYTONA, Fla. – With seven seconds left to play, both the Saint Leo women's basketball team and Embry-Riddle sat dead-locked at 56 points, but with the ball in freshman Izabell Skoogh's hand, the Lions fate was decide. Skoogh, who was surrounded by three ERAU players, sent up the shot, and the bank was open, giving the Lions the win, 59-56.
Junior Alysia Johnson had the game of her career against the Eagles, recording her first double-double of her career. She finished with a career-high 14 points and a tied career-high 12 rebounds. She added three blocks as well.
The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo 59, Embry-Riddle 56
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 5-18 | ERAU 6-16
How It Happened…
1Q | Saint Leo was hot from deep, connecting on four of six, including Mary Redmond going three for three. Redmond finished the quarter with 10 points, adding one free throw. The Lions were unable to score within the arch, as all the point came off three's and free throws. Saint Leo out-rebound the Eagles, 11-9, as Chelsy Springs and Alysia Johnson each grabbed three. The Eagles made their living on the charity stripe in the opening period, scoring nine of their 17 point there. | 17-17 |
2Q | Redmond picked up where she left off in the first, hitting her fourth three to open the period. The Lions started getting their bigs involved, as Springs and Johnson combined for 11 points, including eight from Johnson. In the half, the Lions shot 50-percent from three, seeing Redmond go four of six, and Megan Leslie go two of four. The Eagles scored 14 of their points in the paint, despite the Lions recording four blocks, three of which came from Johnson. | Saint Leo 36-30 |
3Q | Johnson continued her strong play, scoring the first four points of the quarter for the Lions. Redmond also had the hot hand, following with the next five points, including her fifth three of the game. Six straight points from the Eagles cut the Lions lead to within one with just 1:00 left to play, forcing the Lions to call a time out. Out of the timeout, Redmond nailed a jumper to push the lead back to three. | Saint Leo 49-46 |
4Q | A jumper from Redmond at the 9:06 mark gave the Lions a 51-46 advantage, but the Eagles would go on to score the next five points, tying the game at 51 with 4:59 to play. From there the two teams battled, going tooth and nail down the stretch. With four minutes to play, the Eagles took a 53-52 advantage, their first lead in over three quarters. Izabell Skoogh returned the lead to the Lions, before free throws from the Eagles turned it to a 55-54 ERAU lead. Following an ERAU possession that saw the Eagles turn it over, and dish out a foul, the home team called a timeout. The Lions saw Johnson get the offensive rebound and put back, giving the Lions a 56-55 lead with 27-seconds to play. The Lions called a timeout to prepare to defend. Before getting the action started again, ERAU called a time out of their own. With seven seconds left, a foul on Skoogh would send Mercedes Jorge to free throw line. Jorge would go 1-2, tying the game at 56 with seven seconds to play. Skoogh was able to redeem herself as she hit her first three of the game at the buzzer, giving the Lions the win. | Saint Leo 59-56 |
Points to Note
- Alysia Johnson produced a career night. Scoring career high points, 14, and grabbing career high rebounds, 12, it led to her first double-double.
- Mary Redmond led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from downtown.
- Chelsy Springs added 10 rebounds for the Lions.
- Saint Leo as a team shot 40.4-percent from the field and 34.8-percent from three point land. The Lions held the 35-28 rebounding advantage with five blocks.
- The Lions held ERAU to zero-percent from beyond the arc as the Eagles finished 0-for-13 for three pointers.
For the Eagles
- Embry-Riddle was led by Sabrina Whiting who scored 17 points and had team high seven rebounds.
- Tara Fields chipped in 10 points for the Eagles.
- As a team, ERAU shot 39.2-percent from the field and recorded 15 steals in the game.
Next Up
Saint Leo remains on the road as they travel to Palm Beach Atlantic for a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, February 17th where tip is set for 5:30 p.m.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's basketball, be sure to 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.
