BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 23, 2020) – The Webber International University women's basketball team bounced back to its winning ways in The Sun Conference, beating the St. Thomas University Bobcats 69-53 in a battle of fifth-place teams in the TSC on Thursday evening inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.
 
It was the first game of the second half of the 2019-20 Sun Conference Season for both Webber (11-9 overall, 5-5 The Sun Conference) and St. Thomas (7-13, 4-6) as the Warriors rebounded following a tough two-point loss on the road at the College of Coastal Georgia their last time out, snapping Webber's three-game TSC winning streak at the time. The Warriors' win against the Bobcats on Thursday combined with Florida Memorial University's (10-10, 5-5) 80-38 win at Warner University kept Webber tied for fifth place with Florida Memorial in the TSC Women's Basketball standings.
 
Webber got off to a great start defensively after one quarter, holding St. Thomas to only 20 percent shooting (3-15). In all for the first quarter, the Warriors never trailed and led by scores of 5-0 and 10-6 before taking a narrow 15-14 advantage into the second quarter.
 
After keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard over the final 2:40 of the opening period, the second quarter saw the Bobcats continue to put the pressure on and take their first lead of the game at 19-18 via a 3-pointer just over a minute into the period.
 
The two teams then traded leads before St. Thomas stretched its advantage to seven points at 33-26 with four and half minutes left before halftime. However, two free throws and a layup during the final 37 seconds of the first half by Samantha Pacheco kept the Warriors' deficit at one possession at 36-33.
 
Webber's second half performance both offensively and defensively made the difference in the game as the Warriors held the Bobcats to under 20 percent shooting from the field in both the third and fourth quarters and kept St. Thomas to without a 3-point make in the second half while shooting 53.3 percent (8-15) in the third quarter themselves and outscoring St. Thomas 22-10 in the third period.
 
The Warrior defense was at its best in the final quarter, keeping St. Thomas to without a point for the first five minutes of the period and not allowing the Bobcats to score a field goal until with only two minutes left in the game. In all, it was a 21-0 run to start the fourth quarter for Webber, making the score 66-46 with five minutes left. It was a 14-7 advantage for the Warriors in the fourth quarter and was a 36-17 advantage for the second half as a whole.
 
LeAndra Franklin scored nine of her game-high 16 points in the second half, finishing with a shooting percentage of 50 percent (5-10) from the field to go along with 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. She also added a game-high five assists, and had four rebounds and two steals.
 
Another Warrior with a big performance in the second half was Thalia Jackson, who grabbed eight of her career-best 13 rebounds and scored all seven of her career-high in points over the final 20 minutes.
 
"Our defense in the second half, along with the play of LeAndra Franklin and Thalia Jackson were our keys to victory," spoke Head Women's Basketball Coach Grady Morrell.
 
During the last time Webber and St. Thomas met up earlier this season, a 77-75 win for the Bobcats on November 23, Taniya Patrick scored a career-high 30 points and had a career-high 17 rebounds en route to being named The Sun Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week. In Thursday's most recent matchup with the Bobcats, Patrick finished the game by recording 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting overall, and she also added eight boards and a game-high four blocks.
 
Last but not least, Emmarrie Carmen matched Patrick with 12 points and added five rebounds, Paris Copeland scored nine points and had four rebounds, Amaya Lasley had seven points, RayGene Garner had three assists, and Breyonna Reed had six boards.
 
Next up, the Warriors will travel down to Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, January 25, at 2 p.m. for yet another fifth-place matchup in The Sun Conference. The Warriors came out on top in their latest battle of fifth-place teams on Thursday, and will be looking to do so again against the Lady Lions on Saturday.