TAMPA, Fla. – The Saint Leo Lions third quarter offensive onslaught claimed a late lead change but would fall short of upsetting the No. 17 Tampa Spartans, 73-58, during a women's basketball Sunshine State Conference midweek battle.
 
Down by 14 in the third quarter, Saint Leo (10-12, 6-8 SSC) broke out a 17-4 run to slash Tampa's (17-3, 14-0 SSC) lead to a single point, 40-39 at 3:21. Alani Gallagher tied it up at 40 on the line. Every possession held weight as Gallagher put up another two points with a good layup to end the third, even at 46-46.
 
The Lions opened the fourth quarter hot, jumping to a 4-0 run as Alex Button and Gallagher each made a layups. The quick run brought the game to 50-46. Tampa responded with a swift 9-0 run as the Green and Gold's offense retracted. The Spartans slowly added to their five-point lead, ending with the largest lead of the night at 15, 73-58. The decision kept Tampa perfect in the SSC and handed the Spartans 15-straight victories, breaking a program record.

"Hats off to Tampa, they took control of the game after we made a nice run and never looked back," said head coach Anthony Crocitto. "I was proud of our fight and ability to rise but in the end, we ran out of steam."

"Alani Gallagher was a lot to deal with. She is really turning into a premier player in the SSC."
 
Alani Gallagher earned a double-double scoring 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Gallagher snagged 14 defensive rebounds and four offensive on the night. Amanda Ulrich lead the team's scoring with 19 points.

Crocitto concluded, "We look forward to a big crowd on Saturday."

 
Beyond the Boxscore

• Gallagher tallied the eighth double-double of her junior campaign, 11^th career.
• Ulrich picked up her fourth-straight double-digit performance, her 17^th double-digit scoring night of her rookie season.

 
Up Next
Saint Leo returns home to the Marion Bowman Activities Center on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m. to host the Rollins Tars.   
 
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