SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball program, seeded seventh, will travel to Tampa, seeded third, in the Sunshine State Conference semifinals on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. The meeting may sound familiar as the teams met in the SSC semifinals last year in the same facility.

No fans will be permitted at the SSC Tournament games. The tournament broadcast is available on the SSC Digital Network at no charge. Follow all the action on social using the event hashtag: #SSCtourney.
Watch here | Live Stats here
 
Records
#7-Seed Saint Leo Lions: 3-2
#3-Seed Tampa Spartans: 5-0
 
How They Got Here: The Road to the Semifinals
Saint Leo
Saint Leo advanced to the semifinals in comeback fashion Tuesday night at second-seed Barry. The Lions overcame a 17-point second-quarter deficit to upset the Buccaneers 73-64. Amanda Ulrich paced the Green and Gold's offense with 16 points going 5-for-13 from the field, sinking four three-pointers, and going 2-for-4 at the free-throw line. Kiki McIntyre and Casey O'Shaughnessy joined Ulrich is scoring double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Tori Lesko posted a team-high seven rebounds supported by Day Jackson, Urlich, and McIntyre with six apiece.
 
The Lions enter the second round with four Lions who average double-digit scoring per game. Lesko leads the offensive efforts with 14.2 points per game (PPG) followed by Alex Button (12.2 PPG), Amanda Ulrich (12.0 PPG), and Kiki McIntyre (11.4 PPG). Button and Ulrich remain threats around the arch as Button has made eight three-pointers in five games while Ulrich has put in seven in four appearances. Lesko also leads the Green and Gold in rebounding. The graduate student averages 8.6 rebounds per game (RPG) helped by McIntyre with 6.0 RPG.
 
Tampa
Tampa's Melijah Sullivan hit the game-winner to beat the six-seed Florida Southern 75-74 and propelled the Spartans to the semifinals. Sullivan's clutch jumper wrapped up a 20-point performance going 9-for-15 from the floor. Aliyah Abney led the team's scoring with 21 points going 7-for-12 in the barnburner. Terri Battle led the team in rebounds. Coming off the bench, Battle recorded a double-double pulling down 15 rebounds and putting up 10 points.
 
On the shortened year, Melijah Sullivan leads the offense with 16.4 PPG followed by LaShayla Wright-Ponder with 12.8 PPG. Beyond the arc, Julia Ingram and Audrey Ramsey have led the deep scoring with eight and seven three-pointers, respectively. Off the boards, Wright-Ponder paces the Spartans with 7.2 RPG followed closely by Terri Battle with 7.0 RPG.
 
Devue: A Look Back to the 2020 SSC Tournament
The Lions SSC Tournament run came to a close in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center in 2020. The fourth seed Saint Leo Lions fell 72-57 to the top-seeded Tampa Spartans. Despite the loss, Saint Leo forced a lead change in the final minute of the third quarter. The deciding final quarter saw Tampa generate a series of runs to pull ahead and return to a double-digit lead for the ticket to the finals. The loss closed a stellar year for the Saint Leo Lions, recording the most conference wins in program history with a 10-10 SSC mark in a 15-15 overall season record.
2020 SSC Tournament Team Members on the Floor

• Melijah Sullivan (Tampa)
• Aliyah Abney (Tampa)
• Amanda Ulrich (Saint Leo)*

*Amanda Ulrich became the Saint Leo women's team's fifth all-time player to receive Sunshine State Conference All-Tournament Team honors since 1982.
 
 
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.
 
Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.