SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo Lions fell 63-48 to the Tampa Spartans, ranked fifth in the South Region, on Wednesday in the Marion Bowman Activities Center. Tampa's strong start was too much to handle for the Lions despite being able to edge the all-time rivals in the second half.
 
Saint Leo (10-16, 5-13 SSC) was paced by Gina Brierley and Olivia Lough with nine points respectively. Alani Gallagher and Casey Wortley helped with eight points apiece. Gallagher earned a team-high nine rebounds to close out the game just shy of a double-double.
 
Tampa (19-6, 13-4 SSC) had two players put up 20 points. Nagy Dori tallied a double-double in the form of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Staja Tyghter also earned 20 points and added four rebounds.
 
 
How It Happened

• Saint Leo jumpstarted to a 5-0 lead to host the all-time rivals. In the opening three minutes, the Lions outscored the Spartans 8-2. Tampa earned an 8-0 run for the lead change and a seven-point advantage, 15-8. Tampa registered a nine-point lead on the line which was slashed by a Gina Brierley three. The last quarter bucket by Tampa handed the visitors a 21-13 lead after one.
• Olivia Lough's pair of free throws moved the game to ten points; 29-19. Tampa's offense generated nine points over Saint Leo's lone layup. Another six-point run by Tampa moved the scoreboard to 44-22. Alani Gallagher's work on the line brought the game to 44-24 at the half.
• A quiet scoring quarter struck both teams. An eight-minute scoring drought hit Tampa. At 51-32, Lough snagged a defensive rebound off a missed free throw and made the layup on the other end. Lough put up another jumper for a score of 51-34 after three.
• Gallagher hit another two-points from the charity stripe followed by a Brierley drive for a good layup. The 4-0 run cut Tampa's lead to 15 points, 55-40. After a Saint Leo timeout, Gallagher sunk another two on the line to extend the run to six. At 2:24, Tampa's Staja Tyghter put up a three-pointer to regain a 19-point advantage for the Spartans. Abby Zeitsiff drained a three-pointer from off the bench. The Spartans knocked in two more points from on the line for the 63-48 final.

 
Up Next
After a bye weekend, the Saint Leo Lions will close out their home game schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. against the No. 23 Florida Southern Moccasins. Before the contest, the Lions will celebrate their graduating class of Asia Royster and Casey Wortley.
 
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.