SAINT LEO, FL - Saint Leo University women's basketball did something no team Lions team has done in nine years and that was come out on the winning side against the Eckerd College Tritons. Saint Leo secured a gritty 57-52 victory over an Eckerd team receiving votes in the national poll in Wednesday's Sunshine State Conference home opener, marking its first conference win this season and breaking a dry spell since the 2013-14 season against the Tritons.

Jumoke Adaramoye and Taydra Simpson lead the Lions contributing 12 points each. Adaramoye brought down 10 rebounds to secure a double-double.

Saint Leo's tenacious defense and strategic plays in the final quarter proved decisive, outscoring Eckerd, 16-9. The Lions capitalized on opportunities, sealing the win and improving to 4-2 (1-1 Sunshine State).

The Tritons proved to be a pesky foe, as Ieva Korzane, Johanna Bielefeld, and Lauryn Vieira made crucial contributions on both ends of the court.

The game featured intense moments, with five ties and four lead changes, highlighting the competitiveness of both teams. Saint Leo's ability to capitalize on second-chance points and their bench's significant contribution proved vital in securing the win.

Saint Leo is back in action on Saturday as it hosts Florida Tech at 3:30 p.m.

Coach Anthony Crocitto's thoughts on tonight's win: 
"What an amazing experience for these amazing women. To beat one of the class winning programs In the south and the nation is a great feeling right now."

"Our defense was stifling in the fourth-quarter and our resilience shined above all. Jumoke Adaramoye was amazing on both ends in controlled the glass, but she was almost perfect at the free-throw line when we were struggling from the charity stripe."

"Taydra Simpson played some of the best defense I've seen in years. Taydra also stabilized our offense, scoring 12 and grabbing five boards."

"Chynna Mattair has now put a string of solid games together and will be a problem for the SSC in the future."

"I'm so proud of Saint Leo and its growth over my time here. Theresa support is amazing and we only aspire to be better daily. Thank you fans for supporting our ladies so much."