SAINT LEO, Fla. – A 21-point effort by Saint Leo junior Chelsy Springs kept the Lions in the thick of a nip-and-tuck battle with visiting Lynn University, before the Lions eventually fell to the Knights, 67-58, on Saturday afternoon at the Marion Bowman Activities Center.
Saint Leo (4-18, 1-12 SSC) finished the game outshooting Lynn (3-17, 1-11 SSC), and protected the ball by committing just 10 turnovers – second fewest this season. However the Lions were never able to quite overtake the Knights, and Lynn dominated the boards by a 46 to 24 margin including 17 offensive rebounds that yielded 12 second-chance points.
Springs' 21 points was her third-straight 20+ point game, and ninth this season, on a 9-of-15 performance from the floor with three 3-point field goals.
Alysia Johnson added 10 points with five rebounds, while Izabell Skoogh dished out four assists.
The Basics
Final Score: Lynn 67, Saint Leo 58
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 4-18, 1-12 SSC | Lynn 3-17, 1-11 SSC
How It Happened…
1Q | Saint Leo outscored Lynn 7-2 over a three-minute stretch in the first quarter, capped by Mary Redmond's three-pointer with 2:33 remaining on the clock. That trey left the Lions holding an 11-10 lead. The Fighting Knights responded quickly with a pair of jumpers by Charla Nelson-James and Tifani Kerrison to regain the lead, and eventually added a Maddie Herr trey in the final minute. Saint Leo's Chelsy Springs reeled the Knights in a little with 13 seconds left on the clock, dropping a three-pointer to cut the margin to three points. | Lynn 17-14 |
2Q | Springs opened the frame with a jumper to cut the margin to one point, 17-16, for the Knights, and the two teams traded buckets as the Lions connected on their first three field goal attempts of the quarter. Lynn extended its lead to 24-20 on a pair of Bria Huffman foul shots, and added onto it with a Shatorria Baker three-pointer. Saint Leo was 2-of-10 from the field after its initial flurry to open the period, with Megan Leslie canning a three-point field goal and Maranie Harris-Kuiper adding a jumper to bolster the Lion point totals. However Lynn added three more buckets during that span, and went into the locker room at the half holding an eight-point lead. | Lynn 33-25 |
3Q | Saint Leo again came out of the locker room and hit some early shots, and three times pulled to within six of visiting Lynn. Asia Royster knocked down the Lions' first shot of the second half, with Redmond tacking on a trey and Alysia Johnson dropping a jumper at the 7:10 mark to leave the score 38-32 in Lynn's favor. Saint Leo failed to connect on its next two field goal attempts, while the Knights picked up a jumper from Shaunt'e Tucker and two more Huffman foul shots to take a 42-32 lead. Another Johnson jumper and a five points by Springs to close out the frame left Saint Leo trailing by nine, 48-39. The Knight's Nina Guillaume had her own streak of three straight field goals to end the period | Lynn 48-39 |
4Q | After a pair of early free throws by Nelson-James, Saint Leo clawed its way back into the contest with a 6-0 run to cut the margin to five, 50-45, with 8:12 to play. Redmond, Johnson, and Royster all drained jumpers during the Lions' initial run. That would be as close as Saint Leo would get to overtaking the Knights, who responded with a seven-point run of their own following one Lion turnover and a missed three-pointer. The Lions did get the deficit to seven points following a pair of Izabell Skoogh free throws, however the Knights went 5-of-6 at the line over the final two minutes to seal the win. | Lynn 67-58 |
Points to Note
- Springs knocked down three of her four three-point attempts, the most she has hit in a game this season.
- Mary Redmond connected on a pair of treys, part of her total of eight points and three assists on the night. Jone' Akins also dished out three assists.
- Alysia Johnson swatted away three blocks, matching her three blocks earlier this season against Palm Beach Atlantic.
For the Fighting Knights
- Lynn had four players in double figures, led by Charla Nelson-James with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Tifani Kerrison came off the bench to add 12 points, while starter Bria Huffman and reserve Shatorria Baker each contributed 10 points.
- The Knights had an effective game at the free-throw line, where they converted 13 of their 16 opportunities in what proved to be the difference in the game. Each team had 24 field goal attempts and six three-pointers, but the Lions had just four free-throw attempts over the entire game.
Next Up
The Lions return to action next Saturday, Feb. 13, when they travel to Daytona Beach, Fla., to face Embry-Riddle University in a 5:00 p.m. tip-off. Saint Leo will be back on its home court on Saturday, Feb. 20, when it faces Florida Tech at 2:00 p.m. at the Bowman Center.
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