SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team pull off the win of the season as they took down the might Nova Southeastern Sharks 68-66.
 
"It's a massive win," said Head Coach Anthony Crocitto. "They are a top 25 team. They gave us fits at their place, but they did not have to play #22 (Fifth Year Alex Button) at their place."
 
After the victory, the Lions are now 12-12 overall and 5-12 in Sunshine State Conference play.
 
The Lions started things off very well as they went into the 2nd quarter with the lead 14-11 with a lot of momentum.
 
Saint Leo needed to keep things calm as in their previous game versus Nova Southeastern, they had the lead in a similar situation in the game earlier in the season versus the Sharks.
 
The Sharks bit back in the 2nd quarter with a 10-point differential scoring 23 in the quarter alone.
 
Going into halftime, the Sharks held a good lead of 34-27. The momentum was Nova Southeastern, but the Lions had different plans for the second half.
 
The Lions roared back in the 3rd quarter with a strong offensive attack scoring 25 points to bring the Sharks lead to within one point.
 
The stage was set for the Lions going into the 4th quarter. They needed to play the best they have in any quarter this season to close out the biggest game yet.
 
The game was tied with 1:28 left on the clock and Junior Kiki McIntyre hit the biggest shot of her season as she nailed a highly contested three-point shot to give the Lions a three point lead.
 
"Kiki was tremendous today," said Crocitto. "We are on her a lot. She is just like a coach, she gets a lot of praise when we win and a lot of poison when we lose. She was a general for us out there. She ran our offense exactly how we needed it to go."
 
The Sharks brought the game back within one point before it was time Alex Button to step up to the line after being fouled. The first free throw was missed but she landed the second.
 
As time was ticking, the Marion Bowman Activities Center was as loud as it had been the entire season leading up to this moment.
 
For the Sharks, the ball was in the hands of their leading scorer, Madison Frederick. She dribbled to the right-side wing, got set and took her three-point shot only to be met with a miss and the Lions had done it.
 
Saint Leo finalized the victory over Nova Southeastern by a score of 68-66.
 
The leading scorer for the Lions was Alex Button who put up 22 points and seven rebounds.
 
Another star for Saint Leo was Kiki McIntyre who finished the game with 16 points and a massive four steals.



For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo Women's Basketball, 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.