MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team opened Sunshine State Conference (SSC) play with an 84-72 win on the road at Florida Tech on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Lions open the 2024-25 campaign with a 4-0 record.

"Today, we really showed people what we're made of", said head coach Anthony Crocitto. "That fourth quarter was huge for us and I'm very proud of the team with how they responded with their back against the wall. We didn't flinch in the face of adversity and we were putting it all together on both ends of the quarter, this was a great team and program win."

The Green and Gold outscored the Panthers 31-13 in the fourth quarter as the Lions shot an impressive 71.43 percent from the floor and went 9-for-11 at the charity stripe. Saint Leo also capitalized with 20 points off turnovers in the game while Florida Tech committed four turnovers just in the last frame.

A pair of Lions scored 20+ points with Vanessa McManus lacing 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field while converting five free throw attempts. McManus also recorded three boards, three assists, and tallied a steal. Junior Alanis Diaz registered 20 points with 10 points coming from the free throw line. Additionally, Diaz grabbed five rebounds with one assist and one steal. Graduate student Jumoke Adaraymoye posted 13 points with six steals and eight rebounds. Redshirt junior Chynna Mattair recorded 10 points, four boards, and two assists.

Crocitto stated, "Jumoke is a cornerstone of our defensive effort, and she proves that day-in and day-out. She always has active hands in the passing lanes and a strong presence in the paint. What Vanessa has been able to do this early in her freshman year is awesome, the sky is the limit for her. Alanis is really a great leader with her attitude and intensity on the court and it shows in the box score with her rebounding and all-around play."

Saint Leo returns to the court on Friday, November 29 as it competes against UMary in the first day of the Tampa Thanksgiving Classis, hosted by the University of Tampa, starting at 5 p.m.