SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team registered its' third consecutive victory during day one of the Saint Leo Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel Classic, defeating Southern New Hampshire University, 83-79. The Friday night non-conference win raised the Lions' overall record to 6-4 while moving the visiting Penmen's season mark to 8-2. Amanda Ulrich, Ayanna Trigg, and Kiki McIntyre each broke out double-digit points to lift Saint Leo over SNHU.

Anthony Crocitto exclaimed referring to point guard McIntyre, "this was an outstanding job done tonight by the best point guard possibly I've ever recruited."
 
Ulrich recorded her ninth double-digit performance with 18 points while A. Trigg also cashed in 18 points, her season and career-high in the Green and Gold. McIntyre also celebrated a season milestone with 15 points. Trigg led Saint Leo off the boards with seven rebounds followed closely by McIntyre with six and four assists.

"Tonight we had a very balanced attack that was spurred on by some phenomenal defense in the third quarter."
 
Crocitto made a point to praising his dependable bench, "I can't say enough about our bench. Through injuries our bench came up even bigger."
 
How It Happened
Saint Leo capitalized on its home court advantage, jumping out to a seven-point lead after the first quarter, 20-13. The Penmen from the Northeast-10 Conference adjusted to the heat in the second, outscoring the Sunshine State Conference hosts 25-18. The second quarter surge leveled the scoreboard at 38 points apiece at the halftime break.
 
A bucket-for-bucket battle engulfed the Marion Bowman Activities Center in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The non-conference foes found themselves tied at 50 after five minutes of action. It was then when Saint Leo made its' big run. The Lions created space scoring eight unanswered points led by Alex Button with four points and buckets made by McIntyre and Alayna Harris, 58-50. Saint Leo closed out the third with back-to-back jumpers and a deep three-pointer by Ulrich to extend the gap to double figures, 67-54 (14).
 
Saint Leo earned its' largest lead of the game of 18 points at 79-61 with 5:11 left on the clock. The Lions' lead would prove enough against the late offensive push by the Penmen. SNHU rallied an 18-4 run but Saint Leo would survive the efforts. McIntyre anchored the Lions converting four free throws in the final minutes translating to the 83-79 final.  
 
Up Next
Saint Leo returns to the hardwood on Saturday for day two of the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel Classic. The Lions will tip-off against the Luke Superior State Lakers starting at 2:00 p.m.

"We look forward to everybody coming tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for all your support, always," concluded Crocitto.

 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's basketball program, 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.