Credit: @SaintLeoAthleticDepartment
The Saint Leo Women’s Basketball team has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this season. After signing a multitude of talented freshmen in the offseason who showcased their skills in a preseason blowout over Trinity College, hopes were high for the Lions heading into Coach Anthony Crocitto’s second season at the helm of the program. Unfortunately, those sparks of hope were not initially ignited into flame but rather extinguished quickly as the team lost six of their first seven games, many with a deficit of 20 points or more. Yet, the Lions soon found a rhythm after the rocky start, and would go on to win all of their next six contests, bringing their record to a respectable 7-6.
However, after last night’s 52-85 defeat against Florida Tech in the Bowman Center, the team has now lost three straight and is once again facing a low point in the season’s roller coaster ride, with their record falling to 7-9.
For all four quarters against the Panthers, the Lions simply struggled to get the ball in the basket. The team shot a mere 32 percent from the field, and 28 percent from behind the arc. Perhaps it was a lack of efficient ball movement, as demonstrated by the home team having almost half the assists of their opposition, or maybe it was just one of those nights where the ball didn’t want to go down. Either way, it was one of the weaker performances shooting the ball in recent memory for the Lions, and, despite their best efforts, the team failed to win a single quarter of the game.
The game was not without its upsides, and a few Lions stood apart with their exceptional performances. Freshman Alani Gallagher scored 14 points, shooting a 50 percent clip from both the field and the charity stripe. She also grabbed four rebounds and had one steal over the course of the contest. Redshirt Junior Mary Redmond put up 15 points of her own, shooting an impressive 50 percent from downtown, and going a flawless four of four from the line. The rest of the Lions also made a respectable 70 percent of their 14 foul shots in the game.
Sharpshooters Gina Brierley and Delaney Bernard combined for only one successful three-pointer, a one of nine clip from the field, a very rare, poor shooting performance for the two. Based on the season’s statistics, these two are almost guaranteed to score at least one triple per game each.
For Florida Tech, it was Delise Williams and Gracie Doane who led the way with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Williams also led her team in rebounds, grabbing seven boards in her 22 minutes of play. Markeema Crawford tallied a diverse six points, six assists, and four rebounds. The Panthers shot over 50 percent from both the field and from three-point range and made an impressive eight of 14 from downtown as a team.
With just 12 games remaining now in the year (all of the contests within the Sunshine State Conference), the Lions look to end their losing streak and bounce back for the crucial home stretch of the season. The team has only a couple of days off to refine their game plans and rebuild their chemistry, and then they
hit the road to play Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale Saturday. This fight will be tough for the Lions, as Nova Southeastern has triumphed over Saint Leo in all 10 of their meetings over the past four seasons. However, the two teams have yet to meet this year, and if we know anything about our Women’s Basketball team, it’s that they’re going to play their hearts out no matter who their opponent is.
Team Leaders:
- Points: Mary Redmond (15)
- Assists: Gina Brierley (3)
- Rebounds: Savannah Scott (5)
Next Game:
- @ Nova Southeastern
- Saturday, January 13th, 2:00pm
