By: William Burns, Sports Editor
On Wednesday, January 29, the Saint Leo Lady Lions lost a close game against the Mocs of Florida Southern. The Mocs were ranked 10th in the South Region coming into the matchup and delivered in the clutch as they overcame a 16-point deficit to take the lead on a last second shot and steal the win from the Lady Lions.
The Lions were in full control of the game in the first half, as they outscored the Mocs in both quarters, and went into the break with a nine-point lead. They started off the second half hot too and extended the lead to 16 points midway through the third quarter. From this point on, the Mocs were a completely different team. They ended up outscoring the Lady Lions 19-15 in the third quarter and put up 25 points in the fourth. They were perfect from the free throw line in the last quarter and hit their only three-point attempt. They also shot .529 percent from the floor to claw themselves back into the game.
The contest came down to the wire as the lead changed a couple of times in the last minutes. Amanda Ulrich put the Lions back on top by two with a deep three-point make, but the Mocs responded with a layup that tied the game at 65 each. The Lady Lions then missed a shot, allowing the Mocs to run out the last seconds and sink the game winning layup to seal the win 67-65.
While the Lady Lions shot much better than the Mocs did from deep, .367 compared to .167 percent, the Mocs compensated by shooting better at the free throw line, and better from the floor overall. Saint Leo shot .367 percent, not much better than they did from three, and Florida Southern shot .433 percent, overcoming their subpar three-point performance. Florida Southern also took better care of the ball and had four less turnovers than Saint Leo.
High points for the Lady Lions include three players with double digit points. Alex Button had a career high 29 points and made six shots from behind the three-point line. Ulrich finished the night with 11 points, and Gina Brierley rounded out the trio with 10 points. Button’s career high night was also her 13th double digit scoring game of the year.
Coming up for the Lady Lions are two games on the road. They will face Nova Southeastern on February 1, and then Tampa on February 5. The Lions will return home to play aa the Bowman Center again on Saturday February 8. Be sure to come out and be loud to support your Lady Lions!
