DeLand, Fla. - The Stetson women's basketball team (0-2) rallied from a 10-point deficit to within one point in the final seconds but could not get past visiting Saint Leo (0-1) in its regular season home opener, falling 58-54. Sophomore guard Kerri Simpson (Charleston, Tenn.) scored 14 points while junior forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) added nine points and ripped down a career-high 18 rebounds.
The loss to the NCAA Division II Lions snapped a six-game regular season winning streak against non-Division I opponents for Stetson; it was also the first regular season loss to a non-Division I team for the Hatters since a 92-82 setback against Florida Southern at the Edmunds Center February 24, 1986.
The Hatters never led in the contest, but managed to chop a 55-45 deficit with 2:01 remaining down to 55-54 with 35 seconds left but could not manage to overcome the Lions. Stetson had several chances with possession under the Saint Leo basket in the final 15 seconds but could not get a shot off.
Conner's 18 rebounds beat her old career high by three, which was set last January 22 against North Florida. She also had two steals and a block to go with nine points. Senior forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) scored 10 points before fouling out while junior center Daphnee Frieson (Mobile, Ala.) put up her second consecutive eight-point, seven-rebound stat line. She had two blocks and a steal as well. Sophomore guard Lyllique Roman (Poinciana, Fla.) handed out a team-high three assists.
Stetson out-rebounded Saint Leo 52-41 and out-blocked the Lions 6-0 but was plagued by poor shooting (28.1% in the first half, 30.6% for the game) and 22 turnovers. Dominique Daniels scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Lions to the win; Sierra Williams chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals while Willonda Windham delivered a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Ex-Hatter Brittany Carannante had four points, five rebounds and six assists in her victorious return to the Edmunds Center.
The path certainly gets no easier for the Hatters as they travel to Tallahassee to face 10th-ranked Florida State Friday evening at 7 p.m. The contest will be the first of three in a row and four out of five on the road for Stetson.
