BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team rallied from a 14-point deficit and won on the road versus the Lynn Fighting Knights 69-62, in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Wednesday evening. The Lions' victory and a loss from the Florida Southern women's basketball team against Rollins helped propel Saint Leo to an SSC Tournament berth. 

Head coach Anthony Crocitto stated, "I keep using the word resilience, but wow...just wow. Our players refuse to give up and refuse to be held down. We get knocked to the ground and come back quick and fighting. Liv took advantage of major playing time and heated up. She carried us back quick. Jumoke was tremendous in the second half. Her big three-pointer and free throws set us up to win. We continue to play nice with the basketball and limit  turnovers while are solid from the free throw line. We are excited for Senior Day on Saturday and we hope everyone can make it out to see these ladies off to their next stop and the SSC Tournament."

The Lions began the opening frame strong with freshman Vanessa McManus drilling an early three-point basket. However, the Fighting Knights began to take advantage of going on a 12-0 run midway through the frame. McManus ended the Lions' scoring drought with a pull-up jumper while Lynn ended the quarter with a 14-point lead, 23-9. 

Sophomore Olivia Agunzo and junior Taydra Simpson both hit three-pointers early in the second quarter, but Lynn was able to again hold a firm double-digit lead. The tide of the game began to shift slightly towards Saint Leo around the seven-minute mark. Simpson's three was the beginning of a 7-0 run for the Lions with Agunzo adding another three-point basket. Coming out of a media timeout, McManus scored a fast-break layup off a steal and the Lions' defense continued to stand tall, holding Lynn scoreless for nearly six minutes. Agunzo and Simpson both scored driving layups late, as Saint Leo cut its deficit to four at halftime, 34-30. 

After a quiet first half, graduate student Jumoke Adaramoye jump-started the second half for the Lions with a pair of field goals. Saint Leo's defense continued to limit scoring chances for Lynn, holding them scoreless for over four minutes, while Agunzo drove in a pair of layups to give the Lions their first lead of the night. However, the Fighting Knights quickly rallied by ending the quarter on a 9-2 stretch over the final three minutes. 

Agunzo quickly got Saint Leo back in the game, drilling a three-pointer and knocking down a pair of free throws to cut the Lynn lead to one. Lynn kept the Lions scoreless for three minutes while extending its lead to five. Simpson ended the drought by knocking down another three-pointer and drove in a fast-break layup to tie the game. Lynn countered yet again, but redshirt junior Chynna Mattair scored two pivotal layups late in the frame to keep the game close. Adaramoye then knocked down a three-pointer that tied the game. McManus connected on a pair of free throws to give the Lions the lead, and the team made all 10 of their free throws late in the game to finish off another comeback victory. 

Agunzo led with a team-high 17 points, shooting six-for-eight from the field. Simpson followed with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. McManus continued her impressive rookie season with 13 points, scoring in double-figures for the sixth straight contest and for the eighth time in the last nine games. Adaramoye recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

Saint Leo returns to the court on Saturday, March 1 as it wraps up the regular season versus the Florida Tech Panthers in an SSC bout while celebrating senior day, starting at 2 p.m. 

For all the latest information about Saint Leo women's basketball, follow @SaintLeoWBB on X and Instagram.
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- SaintLeoLions.com -