TAMPA, Fla. – The seventh-seed Saint Leo women's basketball team's season ended in a tightly contested Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Tournament Semifinal, 71-67, at third-seed Tampa on Thursday. The Lions earned a 3-3 overall record on the shortened season, the program's second consecutive trip to the conference tournament semifinals. Tampa survived and advanced to the championship holding onto a 6-0 record.
 
The Saint Leo seniors, Alani Gallagher, Montia Moon, and Day Jackson will go down in program history as Lions who made SSC postseason appearances just another day at Saint Leo. Head Coach Anthony Crocitto reflected and said, "I'm proud of the program and very proud of the mark the three seniors have left on this program. The three seniors came into a program that needed a change and together they changed it. They were helped by Tori Lesko, a graduate student who elevated us as well. Tori gave us all she had and I'm proud of her fight tonight."
 
The seniors and the rest of the Saint Leo Lions battled their rivals in a game that contained six lead changes and held four ties. Alex Button led the Lions scoring with 18 points going 8-for-14 from the floor. Meanwhile, Tori Lesko recorded a double-double with 13 points and game-high 12 rebounds. Casey O'Shaughnessy joined them in double digits with 12 points.
 
"Alex and Casey showed strong heart tonight and will only grow from these experiences.
 
"We needed one more stop and one less turnover tonight. We will learn as a program and be back in special games like this one again."
 
The Spartans jumped ahead off Melijah Sullivan's 11-point first quarter. Saint Leo trailed by four at the end of the first, 23-19. Tori Lesko flipped the script in the second quarter. The graduate student registered six points and four rebounds to close the gap. Lesko's good toss at the charity stripe tied up the game for a halftime score of 31 apiece.
 
The Green and Gold dominated both sides of the court in the opening six minutes of the third quarter. The Lions shut down the Spartans offense allowing only three free throws while generating 13 points, translating into a 10-point Saint Leo lead: 44-34 at 5:50. Dori Nagy scored the Spartans first bucket of the third and sparked a retaliation. The Lions' offense went cold as Tampa went on their own 14-2 run which reclaimed the lead for the Spartans at the end of the third, 48-46.
 
Every single possession in the fourth held a weight to it that would either tie the game or hand a team some comfort beyond a two-point advantage. Down 66-61, Saint Leo threaded together an uninterrupted Lesko free throw, a steal by Gallagher, a clutch three-pointer by Amanda Ulrich, and layup by Lesko to grasp a one-point lead, 67-66 with 28 seconds left in the game. Tampa punched its' ticket to the championship off a layup and three final free throws.
 
Crocitto concluded, "It has been a very strange 13 months for the Saint Leo women's basketball program. We did our best through so much adversity. I'm proud of each of these ladies and our staff."
 
 
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.