SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo women's basketball cruised past the Embry-Riddle Eagles Wednesday night, 79-66 after two monster quarters inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center.

"It was great to see us turn around from another tough loss last weekend and beat a very skilled team tonight," Head Coach Anthony Crocitto commented after the win. "It was great to see us cut back on turnovers and play better team defense."

Saint Leo (7-9, 3-5 SSC) used two 20-plus point quarters to cruise past Embry-Riddle (5-10, 3-6 SSC) where four players scored in double-digits with Alani Gallagher and Amanda Ulrich dropping 20-plus points apiece. Gallagher led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting while grabbing a team high seven rebounds as Ulrich tallied 20 points on the night with six rebounds.

"Once again, Alani didn't disappoint tonight," Crocitto added. "She really stepped up and controlled both ends of the floor tonight. Amanda did so many wonderful things on both ends tonight, from defense to handling the ball and scoring the ball. I am so proud of her because she plays with such pure of passion."
 
Alex Button and Casey O'Shaughnessy each joined in double-figures for the Green and Gold with 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Crocitto continued, "Alex demanded the ball in the second half and is becoming very difficult to deal with on a nightly basis for other teams. Casey had some huge possessions for us and she has been playing so economically good all year."
 
Saint Leo turned in its third-best shooting performance of the year shooting .518-percent (29-56) from the field while scoring 70 or more points for the 11^th time this season.
 
The Lions opened up the game with a 12-2 advantage before the Eagles closed it to one at the end of the quarter, 15-14 Saint Leo. Embry-Riddle took the quick lead in what would be a back-and-forth quarter ended with the Green and Gold up by five, 40-35, capped by a quick Alex Button layup with 11-seconds left.
 
Saint Leo came out of the break and extended the lead to 16 with an 11-0 run, 51-35, before the Eagles could put a point on the board in the second half. Embry-Riddle would cut it to single-digits, 56-48, before the Green and Gold pushed to double-digits at the end of the third quarter, 61-50. The Lions would continue to push the pace and go on for the 13-point win, 79-66, over the Eagles.
 
Beyond the Boxscore

• Amanda Ulrich and Alani Gallagher have each scored 10-plus points in 13 games on the year with Gallagher reaching the 10-point plateau in seven straight games and Ulrich in five straight.
• Ulrich has scored 20-plus points in five games this year while it was Gallagher's fourth.

Up Next
Saint Leo remains home to host Barry on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. where the Lions will put on a basketball festival, Hoopapalooza with doors opening at 4:30 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. Don't miss out on the 2019-20 Basketball Pride Pass, now on sale. The Saint Leo Basketball Pride Pass gives each fan admission to all home men's and women's basketball events. For more information visit here.