SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo University women's basketball team dominated Palm Beach Atlantic University 76-52 for its second Sunshine State Conference win of the year. The Lions saw Alani Gallagher and Amanda Ulrich pace the team inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center with double-digit point performances.

"This should be a big confidence booster," said head coach Anthony Crocitto. "We played at a high-level and were able to stretch out our lead."

"We had 28 bench points. Montia made layups, Abby hit a few big threes while Nina stepped up and filled a void that we desperately needed off the glass. Also, Gina was the veteran leader we needed on both ends of the court."

Crocitto continued, "We intended for Alani to get the ball and she did not disappoint."
 
Gallagher led all scorers with 17 points while Ulrich notched 13 points for Saint Leo (6-8, 2-4 SSC). Abby Zeitsiff and Alex Button chipped in with nine points for the Green and Gold. Nina Robinson paced the team in rebounding with a game-high eight boards as Button dished out a game-high seven assists. Saint Leo won the rebounding title 40-28 while holding PBA to just 33.3 (16-48) shooting from the floor including a 30.8 (4-13) night from beyond the arc to the Lions' 49.2 (29-59) night from the floor and a 42.1 (8-19) performance from beyond the arc. 
 
Palm Beach Atlantic looked to give Saint Leo trouble as the Sailfish opened up the game with a 6-0 lead. The Green and Gold used a 7-2 run to cut it to one before Amanda Ulrich's jumper gave Saint Leo its first lead at 9-8. After a quick bucket by PBA, Abby Zeitsiff knocked down a three with 3:25 to play in the opening stanza to give the Lions a lead, which they would never lose throughout the remainder of the contest.
 
Saint Leo held a three-point lead after the first quarter, 16-13, but it would be a big second quarter that propelled the Green and Gold to a 37-23 lead after two-quarters of action. The Lions would edge the Sailfish 17-12 in the third quarter for a 54-35 lead heading to the final quarter of action. Despite the Sailfish using a run to cut the deficit, the Lions used a 22-point fourth quarter to secure a 76-52 win over PBA.

"We look forward to the bye. Thank you to the many people who came out today and we hope to see you when we return home," concluded Crocitto.

 
Beyond the Boxscore

• Alani Gallagher and Amanda Ulrich posted their 11^th double-digit point performances of the year.
• Saint Leo used two big quarters, the second and fourth, scoring 21 and 22 points, respectively.  

 
Up Next
Saint Leo will be off for the midweek before heading to Boca Raton, Fla. on Jan. 11 for a 2 p.m. tip-off against the Lynn Fighting Knights.
 
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.