SAINT LEO, Fla. – Trailing by nine with eight and a half minutes in the left, the HFU women's basketball outscored Saint Leo 18-4 over the final 8:24 to defeat the Lions 56-51 in afternoon action on Tuesday. 
 
Down 38-47, Holy Family went on a 15-2 run over 6:33 that ended with Carolyn Prevost's (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery) layup putting the Tigers ahead 53-49 with 1:51 left. 
 
Taylor Hinkle (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) scored nine straight HFU points in the stretch, including a 3-pointer that put the Tigers on top for good, 51-49, with 3:45 showing. 
 
Saint Leo countered Prevost's layup with its first basket in 4:40 just 20 seconds later, but those would be the Lions' final points. 
 
Down the stretch, Holy Family got two stops and a crucial offensive rebound from Skyler Searfoss (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe Area), who also clinched the victory with two foul shots with eight seconds on the clock. 
 
Individual Highlights

• Hinkle tied a game-high with 17 points and added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season
• Prevost led all players with a season-bests 12 boards
• Jessica Riepe (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) was also in double-figures with 11 points, and she tied a game-high with three steals
• Searfoss had three steals too, to go along with a team-high three assists
• Kaelah Carter (Watervliet, N.Y./Shaker (The College of Saint Rose)) fell one point shy of making it three Tigers in double-figures 

 
Inside the Box Score

•  With both teams struggling from the field, a dominant 55-35 effort on the boards propelled HFU, including 24 offensive rebounds that led to a 20-8 edge in second-chance points

 
How it Happened

• The entire first half was played within two possessions as HFU twice went ahead by six, including at 20-14 on a Hinkle layup with 4:41 left in the second quarter
• Saint Leo responded with the next eight points to regain the lead, only for Lola Ibarrondo (Bristol, Pa./Neshaminy) to tally five points in the last 49 seconds, including a 3-pointer in the final seconds for a 25-22 halftime edge
• After three lead changes and two ties the opening minutes of the second half, SLU took control with six unanswered that eventually propelled the Lions to the first three-possession advantage, 36-43 and then 36-45, in the final minutes of the third
• Riepe cut the deficit to seven entering the fourth, but Saint Leo opened the fourth quarter scoring for yet another nine-point cushion

 
Up Next
Holy Family hosts two top 10 teams this weekend, first welcoming No. 3 Bentley to the Campus Center for a 4 p.m. tip on Friday.