Lions Ledger: Basketballs Hosts Tampa in Midweek SSC Action

Jan 04, 2022

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RECORDS: Saint Leo 9-4, 4-1 SSC | No. 12 Tampa 13-3, 4-1 SSC
Saint Leo looks to extend its six-game win streak as the Lions stay home for their seventh straight game at home. Saint Leo is coming off a down-to-the-wire win against Barry, who entered number two in the SSC. With the game tied at 68-68 with less than ten seconds on the clock, Ayanna Trigg found Tamara Shash for a game-winning three ball to propel the Lions to a 71-68 win at home. Shash finished with a season-high nine points, all coming via the three. The Cairo, Egypt native also had a game-high seven rebounds. Amanda Ulrich led Saint Leo with 20 points, going 7-18 from the field and 5-7 at the free throw line.
On the season, Amanda Ulrich has paced the Green and Gold offense with a team-high average of 18.4 points per game (ppg). She is helped by Ayanna Trigg (11.3), Kiki McIntyre (10.5), and Alex Button (10.2) who also averages double figure scoring. Tori Lesko is just shy of averaging double digits with 9.9 ppg. Inside the paint, Ayanna Trigg has racked up a .647-shooting percentage while Ulrich and Button have kept opponent's busy beyond the circle. Trigg leads the Lions off the window with 7.7 rebounds per game (rpg) followed by Lesko with 6.4 rpg. Meanwhile, McIntyre has registered 35 steals, 39 assists, and five blocks as the team's starting point guard.
Ulrich is the SSC's most dangerous player with the ball. She leads the league in scoring with 18.4 ppg recording 78 field goals, 28 three-pointers, and 55 free throws in 13 games. Ayanna Trigg is also in the top-20 at the 16th spot with 11.3 ppg. Kiki McIntyre sits at 19th (10.5) Off the boards, Ayanna Trigg has snagged the second highest rebounds in the conference with 92 for an average of 7.7 rebounds per game. The graduate student forward has grabbed 37 offensive and 55 defensive losse balls off the iron. When she isn't helping the Lions' possession game, Trigg has the highest field goal percentage shooting a .647-percent from the floor. At point guard, McIntyre has tallied the most steals among SSC compeition with 35, 2.7 steals per game.
#12 Tampa returns to action looking to make it two in a row. The Spartans recently had their 11-game winning streak snapped on Friday vs No. 23 Eckerd, 51-50. But Tampa rebounded with a 80-59 win over Palm Beach Atlantic on Sunday. They had three starters record double digits. Aliyah Abney put up 15 points on 7 for 12 shooting, while LaShayla Wright-Ponder and Melijah Sullivan both added 14 points.
Wright-Ponder paces the offense with an average of 14.9 ppg followed by teammates Abney with 13.1 ppg and Dori Nagy averaging 12.9 ppg. Off the window, Wright-Ponder also leads the team with 9.0 rpg.
Abney, Nagy, and Sullivan all hold the eighth to tenth spots among the SSC's top scorers while Nagy is the fourth most dangerous rebounder with her 7.4 rpg. Abney ranks third in the SSC in steals with 30, averaging two in every appearance.
HISTORY: The Spartans currently hold a 12-game winning streak on the Lions dating back to 2016. It's currently the third-longest losing streak against an SSC opponent for Saint Leo. However, riding a six-game winning streak into this year's first matchup, the Lions look to erase that streak. Tampa took the last matchup back on March 18, 2021 in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Semifinal in Tampa, Fla. Alex Button led the way with 18 points, while Tori Lesko added 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Saint Leo last took down the Spartans in 2015, a 63-61 win for the Lions in the Bowman Center.
Current SSC Standings: Saint Leo: 4 | #12 Tampa: 3
Tampa is ranked 12th in the latest WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll on Dec. 21, 2021 and is ranked 19th according to D2SIDA WBB Polls on Jan. 3, 2022

RECORDS: Saint Leo 5-7, 1-4 SSC | Tampa 7-3, 3-2 SSC
Saint Leo hosts their third straight home game after the winter break taking on rival Tampa in the Bowman Center. The Lions look to break their three-game losing streak against the Spartans, a streak that dates back to December 18. Despite dropping a heartbreaker against Barry on Sunday, Luke Haasl was named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The Oshkosh, Wis. native led Saint Leo against Barry with three blocks and eight defensive boards, in addition to seven points in the paint. Haasl ranks seventh in the SSC in blocks with 12.
Leading the way for the Lions offensively is Francis Sio. The Charlotte, N.C. native recorded a career-high and program-best 40 points on Sunday in the loss against Barry. Sio went 13-21 from the field and 8-13 from behind the arc. He also added three boards and two assists. He leads the team with 14.1 points per game, and is shooting 45% from the field this year, and 44% from three-point range. That's good for third in the conference.
Frank Webb Jr. leads the SSC in steals with 46, averaging 4.3 per game. In addition, he currently sits as the eighth highest rebounder in the SSC with 85 (14 O - 71 D) after 12 games played. He totaled seven on Sunday against Barry Webb Jr. has also earned the league's second most assists count at 65 for an average of 7.9 per game.
Tampa looks to add on to their three-game winning streak after beating Palm Beach Atlantic on Sunday, 91-67, at home. The Spartans were led off the bench by Bryan Williams who put up a game-high 29 points. He was 11-12 from the floor and a perfect 5-5 from three point range. Mykah Brown led the starters with 21 points for the Spartans, going 8-14 from the field and 4-7 from behind the arc. 6'3'' senior guard Jonathan Bryant II grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds (2 0 – 9 D).
On the season, it's Max Jones leading the way for the Spartans averaging 20.8 points per game, good for second best in the SSC. He also ranks third in the conference at the charity stripe, shooting 86%. Jones has matched his season-high twice this year, putting up 30 points in the season opener vs Montevallo at Saint Leo, and another 30 point performance vs Bemidji State in the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic.
The Spartans rank third in the conference in defense, giving up on average 73.8 points per game. But they also rank third in turnovers, coughing up the ball 14.3 times a game.
HISTORY: Saint Leo and Tampa last met on Sat., Feb. 20, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. Cantia Rahming had a team-high 19 points and 13 boards for the Lions en route to a 67-54 win for Saint Leo. Frank Webb Jr. put up 17 points for the Lions while adding 10 rebounds.
Current SSC Standings: Saint Leo: 10 | Tampa: 4
Tampa is ranked 10th according to the D2SIDA Men's Basketball Division II Media Poll - Week 7

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