SAINT LEO, Fla. – Alex Button drained a three-pointer from the corner to level the end of regulation at 58-58 in the Marion Bowman Activities Center Saturday night in the Sunshine State Conference meeting between the Saint Leo Lions and Tampa Spartans. Despite the Green and Gold's efforts, Tampa's dominance inside the paint claimed the overtime decision, 72-66.

"I am so proud of this young program," said head coach Anthony Crocitto. "We are playing a lot of young guys and played toe-to-toe with one of the SSC bests for 45 minutes."
 
Crocitto continued, "we had to execute better with the last possession. We will be better because of tonight. Tampa is certainly tough and well balanced. While we gained confidence tonight, we need to find some 'W's before Christmas."

 
Saint Leo (4-6, 1-3 SSC) was paced by Amanda Ulrich with 18 points followed by Alani Gallagher with 17 points and a team-high six rebounds. Button wrapped up the night with 12 points going 3-for-5 from beyond the arch. Summer Quigley notched a career-high six points sinking a pair from downtown. Gina Brierley also popped on the stat line with a team-high five assists.

"I am proud of Gina Brierley's night," said Crocitto. "Amanda Ulrich is playing superior basketball, while it was nice to see a huge contribution from Summer Quigley."

 
Tampa (5-3, 4-0 SSC) was led by Lashayla Wright-Ponder with 32 points, going 13-for-17 from the field, and a game-high eight rebounds. She was supported by two fellow Spartans scoring double digits.
 
Beyond the Boxscore

• Ulrich earned her third-straight double-digit scoring appearance after facing Florida Southern, Nova Southeastern, and Tampa.

 
Up Next
Saint Leo looks ahead to next weekend's Hampton Inn (Wesley Chapel) Classic in the Marion Bowman Activities Center. The Lions are set to host Southern Wesleyan on Friday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. followed by a meeting with Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday.
 
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.