General Jan 17, 2020

Lions Ledger: First Busy Weekend for Athletics in 2020

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Saint Leo swimming is back in the pool Friday as the Lions travel Melbourne, Fla. to face the Panthers of Florida Tech for the second time this season.
The Saint Leo men's program was recently moved to 23rd in the TYR/CSCAA Division II Poll.
The men are currently 4-1 on the season in dual meets after defeating Stevenson 80-13 in a meet Wednesday night in Saint Leo.
The women are also 4-1 on the year and are coming off a 73-22 win over Stevenson
Saint Leo has seen two swimmers earn Sunshine State Conference Swimmer of the Week honors including sophomore Vittoria Bonsanti Feniello on the women's side and sophomore Hampus Lovinge on the men's side. Bonsanti Feniello broke the program record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:03.22 at the Spartan Invitational earlier this season. The pair have been leading the Lions in individual event victories this season in nearly every dual meet.
Florida Tech has a combined 1-10 record between the men's and women's programs. The men boast the lone victory and it came in a 151-110 victory at Lynn. The Florida Tech women are led by Savannah Brennan who won a pair of events in their most recent meet versus Tampa. Dain Rust was the lone Florida Tech men's swimmer to win a race against the Lions earlier this season.
HISTORY: The Lions and Panthers met earlier this season in Saint Leo with the Lion men winning 142-63 and the women taking the victory 137-68. The Lion women have not lost to Florida Tech since 2013 while the men fell to the Panthers back in 2016.

RECORDS: Saint Leo 7-9, 3-5 SSC | Barry 4-10, 2-6 SSC
Saint Leo had a tremendous game on Wednesday, defeating the Embry-Riddle Eagles 79-66. Four Lions scored in double-digits with Alani Gallagher and Amanda Ulrich dropping 20-plus points apiece. The duo has 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 paces the Lions' offense on the season putting up 15.2 points per game (ppg) shooting a .394-field goal percentage. Gallagher contributes 13.2 ppg alongside a stellar .507-field goal percentage. Alex Button also averages double-digits with a season 12.8 ppg. The trio also leads the team off the glass, led by Gallagher with 7.4 rebounds per game (rpg) followed by Ulrich with 5.1 and Button with 5.0, respectively.
The midweek Sunshine State Conference (SSC) win moved the Lions from ninth to eighth in the league standings. Saint Leo enters Saturday's game scoring 73.4 points on the season, shooting a team .433-percent from the field, .372-percent around the circle, and a .661-percent from the line. Off the iron, the Green and Gold averages 37.4 rpg.
Barry went toe-to-toe with SSC standings leader, RV Tampa, on Wednesday but came up short, 62-51 in the Health & Sports Center. The Buccaneers had four players reach double-figure scoring: Nerea Baena (17), Chiara Fusari (10), and Emma Hergot (10).
Four Bucs average double-digit scoring on the season paced by Harriet Swindells with 15.6 ppg. The junior guard visits the Marion Bowman Activities Center with a .379-field goal percentage. Off the boards, Emma Hergot pulls down a team-high 7.5 rpg.
Barry's loss on Wednesday lowered the Bucs' seeding in the conference standings to 10. The Bucs have pair of SSC victories came from Embry-Riddle (64-60) and Palm Beach Atlantic (66-43). As a unit, the 2019-2020 Bucs have put up an average of 64 ppg paired with 36.1 rpg. Barry has put together a team .389-field goal percentage, holds a .260 three-point percentage, and sinks .677-percent of takes at the charity stripe.
HISTORY: Last season, the Bucs took both games, defending their home court 64-44 in the Lions' season finale on March 2, 2019. Last meeting in the Marion Bowman Activities Center, Barry clinched a 60-55 decision.

RECORDS: Saint Leo 11-5, 5-3 SSC | Barry 13-2, 7-1 SSC
Saint Leo will host the Buccaneers as the athletics department teams up with the campus for a basketball festival, Hoopapalooza. The Lions enter the matchup after holding off Emrby-Riddle 92-85 Wednesday night where four Lions scored in double-figures, led by Kyran McClure with 20 points.
On the season, McClure leads the team averaging 20.4 points per game (ppg) while Isaiah Hill (14.8) and Rusty Moorer (10.6) are the other two 10-plus point averages on the team.
The Lions bring the top SSC scoring defense into the matchup, holding opponents to 69.2 ppg, while they are ninth in scoring offense at 75.9 ppg. The Green and Gold's defense ranks in the top-45 in the nation.
Barry is flying high as the Bucs are riding a 10-game win streak which includes their last matchup over Tampa 80-63 on Jan. 11. In the win, Tylan Birts led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds as Johannes Dolven also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
On the year, Birts leads the team in scoring at 16.8 ppg, ahead of Jake Kakar at 13.6 ppg and Dolven at 11.0.
The first place Bucs bring the fourth best scoring offense in the league to the matchup at 87.7 ppg while sitting in second in scoring defense, holding opponents to 72.7 ppg. The offense ranks 23rd in the nation while the defense is sitting 119th in all of division II.
HISTORY: The series has been a tight one since the first game in 1984. The Bucs hold a slight edge, 38-36, in all-time meetings with Barry holding an 8-2 record in the last 10 meetings. Last year, the two teams split the series with the home team winning on its own hardwood. Inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center, Saint Leo is standing at 21-16 against Barry, including last year's 82-77 win on Jan. 19.