SAINT LEO, Fla. – Despite cutting its deficit to one possession in the final seconds of the game, the Saint Leo women's basketball team lost 59-57 at home versus Palm Beach Atlantic in Sunshine State Conference (SSC) action on Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Lions move to 11-14 overall with a 5-12 mark in conference play while the Sailfish improve to 14-12 behind an 8-10 record in SSC action.

Palm Beach Atlantic grasped a 10-point advantage after a layup with 8:54 left in the game (49-39). The Green and Gold executed a 9-0 run that was ignited by a jumper from sophomore Anastasiya Astapenka and capped off by another jumper from Astapenka. The Sailfish went on to extend their lead to a 59-52 edge followed by junior Chynna Mattair connecting on a three-pointer as PBA led 59-55. A fastbreak jumper from sophomore Alanis Diaz cut the Saint Leo deficit to 59-57, however, the Lions did score in their final possession.

The Sailfish opened the game with a 13-9 cushion after a made free throw. Before the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter, freshman Olivia Agunzo laced a three-point buzzer beater to close PBA's gap advantage to 15-12. At the 3:30-mark of the second frame, Agunzo connected on a fastbreak layup to give the Green and Gold a 23-22 edge, however, the sailfish countered back as they led 31-25 at halftime.

PBA began the third quarter on a 14-6 run as it led 45-31 before Saint Leo trimmed the deficit to 45-37 with six consecutive points. As the third quarter ended, PBA led 47-37.

Agunzo led the Lions with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. She also tallied a pair of three-pointers and grabbed four rebounds. Diaz notched 13 points and 11 boards in addition to converting on four free throw attempts. Mattair recorded nine points, five rebounds and two steals. Astapenka finished the game with eight points and five rebounds.



Saint Leo shot 31.3 percent (20-of-64) from the field with a 20.8 conversion rate (5-of-24) from beyond the arc while hitting on 92.3 percent of its free throw attempts. PBA held a slight 47-43 edge on the glass.

The Green and Gold return to the court on Saturday. February 24 as it travels to face Florida Tech in SSC action at 2 p.m.