By Mike Gincel, Contributing Writer
The Bowman Center was abuzz this past Wednesday night as the Lions took on archrival Tampa in Sunshine State Conference action. The crowd was huge as more than 800 people attended both games and fans were not disappointed with two very exciting matches. There was plenty of Lion spirit to go around.
First up were the Lady Lions and it was a close match between both teams. Not only that, but it set up a familiar rivalry between the two head coaches, married couple Tom and Nikki Jessee. It was 2-1 in the series against them, with the Lions ahead. In this game, despite a tough defense and some missed shots, the ladies kept to shooting.
One standout was Teresa Manigrasso who had a game high 24 points. Manigrasso also notched a three-pointer with fifty seconds left, helping send the Lions into overtime against a very tough Tampa defense. Another standout on the Ladies side was Elyse Clyburn, who was recently selected to participate in the WBCA’s “So You Want To Be A Coach” program. Clyburn had a game high with twelve rebounds and almost had the winning shot for the Lions as she threw a half-court shot that was just off the mark.
The Ladies gave it their all, but it was an unfortunate overtime period, where neither team scored for a full three minutes. In the end, it was Tampa’s day, as the Lady Spartans took home the win, 68-63. The women still have a winning record and a record number of conference wins this season. They are currently 12-12 overall, with a 7-7 conference record. They currently stand in fifth place in the conference, with two games left. As of this writing, they are facing the Rollins this Saturday and the home season finale will be on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. against the Eckerd Tritons.
The Men kicked off their game by honoring one of their own. Senior Marcus Ruh was named earlier this week the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year. Ruh was selected based off of his teamwork, playing attitude and grades, as he has kept a 4.0 average in the classroom and has shown leadership on and off the court.
After the ceremony, the game began. It became very clear that the Men came to play as they gained a double digit lead within eight minutes of the game. The Lions led throughout the entire contest, going into halftime with a 41-23 lead over the Spartans. During the second half, the lead would not be given up, resulting in many Lions getting playing time and most players coming off the bench. It was a 62-49 win against the Spartans. Not only that, but with a 77-70 loss that Eckerd handed to the Florida Southern Moccasins, it paved the way for the Saint Leo Men to enter the final week of the season in first place overall in the conference, with a 18-5 record and 11-3 overall in the conference. Ruh stood out among the players, scoring 21 points. Trent Thomas chipped in 12 points and on rebounds it was Shaun Adams who had a game high with 14. The men take on Rollins on Saturday and the home season finale with Eckerd on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Both teams are going to be headed to Kissimmee on March as part of a new SSC tradition. For the first time, the annual SSC tournament among the nine SSC teams will be held at a neutral site and all nine teams will play at the tournament. The #8 seeded and #9 seeded teams will be playing on the first day to determine who will get the #8 spot in the tournament and who will be sent home on the first day, eliminated from the tournament. It is sure to be a great tournament and both teams have had a great season, so look for strong runs from both teams as they go for the gold and win the tournament. The tournament runs from March 6-10 and tickets are on sale now. For more information, contact the Athletics office on ticket prices.
For all of the action regarding Lion’s Basketball or any of the Saint Leo sports, be sure to go to www.saintleolions.com. Check them out on Facebook (Saint Leo Lions) or follow them on Twitter @SaintLeoLions. Great work teams and as always, Go Lions!
