Tanci Levit and Shalaha Hubbard power the Saints offense past Goshen. Siena Heights beat the Maple Leafs 85-76 in non-conference action Sunday afternoon.
Both teams found themselves tied with 39 points at halftime. Goshen was incredibly hot in the first half as they shot 59% from the field. Siena Heights actually had a lead in the first half a managed to counter the Maple Leaf shooting percentage with 13 made free throws and four made three pointers. The second half the Saints played much better defense as Goshen only shot 38%. On the other hand, Siena Heights went from shooting 32% to almost 54% in the two halves. The six three pointers the Saints made in the second half really helped propel the Saints to the win. The key turning point in the game came when Siena Heights was up by four with just under three minutes left. Hubbard made a three point basket and was fouled after the shot went in. Hubbard then went to the line for a 1-and-1 bonus free throw option. She made the first basket but missed the second. Erin Cassidy came up with a huge offensive rebound that led to a Nikki Hughes field goal. In a span of six seconds the Saints went from being up four points, to going up ten.
Tanci Levit was the main story on offense for the Saints. She scored a career high 28 points and pulled down ten rebounds in just under 38 minutes. Levit shot 13-for-15 from the free throw line to account for most of her points. She was also second on the team in assists with four. Hubbard knocked down six three-pointers on her way to a 22 point night. The two unsung heroes of the night might be Lauren Crockett and Cassidy. Crockett scored 16 points and had five assists. Cassidy pulled down ten rebounds and had five points.
Siena Heights now improves to 9-3 overall. Their next game will be on the 19th when they host Purdue University-Calumet at 1 pm.