CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Down by two, 61-59, with five seconds remaining in the contest, Saint Leo took a timeout, moved the ball to the left side of half court, setting up Montia Moon to save the day. Saint Leo's eight-point halftime lead didn't hold up as the Lions' shooting went cold in the third quarter and Shorter capitalized on the opportunity, outscoring Saint Leo 15-2. However what seemed like a costly quarter turned into a thrilling victory as the Lions clinched the non-conference contest, 62-61, Saturday afternoon at Lee University's Paul Dana Walker Arena.
"I told my assistant coaches the other day that Montia Moon is a kid that is going to hit big shots and it is very ironic that today she had the opportunity to make a big shot," said second year head coach
Anthony Crocitto.
"I thought Ragen was unstoppable and she is still coming back from being hurt. We got to get Mary going and Gina, although she didn't play as well as yesterday, she has played almost 60 minutes with zero turnovers, that is big. Our best player today was willing to pass the ball. If our whole is team is willing to pass the ball, we are going to make some noise.
"I am proud of this team. I am proud of Montia for hitting a big shot during her freshman year. We are playing freshman out there. Tyler Davenport is another freshman who played an incredible role for us today. She got our energy going.
"There is an odd adage that says, 'from a flame comes an inferno,' this is hopefully a match that takes to a flame because this is going to be a hard month," concluded Crocitto.
The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo 62, Shorter 61
Location: Lee University | Cleveland, Tenn.
Records: Saint Leo 1-1 | Shorter 0-2
How It Happened...
1Q | Shorter held the early lead at 8-4 with 3:05 left on the clock.
Ragen Dotson opened with nine points in the first 15 minutes. Dotson's fourth straight bucket, a driving layup, handed Saint Leo its first lead of the game at 9-8 (1:59).
Mary Redmond joined the action, sinking a three from the corner pocket (12-8) with 0.47 seconds left in the quarter. | Saint Leo 16, Shorter 11 |
2Q | Redmond's three-point basket, assisted by Dotson, opened scoring (19-11) at 9:16. Saint Leo earned its first double figure lead at 5:26 off Dotson's good three from the top of the circle. Redmond continued Saint Leo's hot long game for the Lions highest lead of 11 at 1:03 (35-24). | Saint Leo 35, Shorter 27 |
3Q | The scoreboard went untouched in opening 2:55 minutes. Shorter found its rhythm with back-to-back threes, cutting Saint Leo's lead to two points (35-33). The Hawks forced a lead change at 3:49 (39-37) after BreAnna Thompson converted a foul and posted a good basket. Third quarter woe's continued for the Lions as Shorter showcased a nine-point run to close the quarter. Saint Leo was only able to score two-points in the 15 minutes. | Shorter 42, Saint Leo 37 |
4Q | Tyler Davenport melted the Lions cold shooting streak with an equalizing jumper at 8:42 (42-42). With 4:03 remaining, Shorter's Jasmine Gaines layup handed the Hawks a two possession lead (52-47).
Gina Brierley posted a quick three-point answer to bring the game back to a one possession barnburner. A Shorter technical allowed Dotson to put two more points on the board for Saint Leo (58-56).
Nikira Hooks added another point for the Lions on the charity stripe, cutting the Hawks lead to one (58-57). Tied at 59, Shorter's Thompson made a jumper, leaving Saint Leo down 61-59 with a mere five seconds remaining. It was under that pressure where freshman Montia Moon sank the three in the deep corner for the win. | Saint Leo 62, Shorter 61 |
Points to Note
- Ragen Dotson showcased game high 21 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, six rebounds
- Mary Redmond tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds
- Day Jackson led the Lions off the glass with 8 rebounds
- Team finished shooting 27.6 FG%, 20.0 3FG%, 69.2 FT%
For Shorter
- Three Hawks earned double digit points; BreAnna Thompson (13), Bianca Thornton (12), Denise Newton (11)
- Outscored Lions 15-2 in the third; largest lead by five at 1:38 in 3rd quarter
- Thomson and Tatum Ragsdale earned 8 rebounds
Saint Leo concludes play in the 2017 GSC/SSC Challenge, now turning its attention to the program's home and SSC opener. On Wednesday, November 15 at 5:30 p.m. the Lions welcome the Florida Southern College Moccasins to the Bowman Activities Center.
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