LAKELAND - Chelsea Johnson became just the sixth women's basketball player in Florida Southern history to surpass 1,500 career points with a 25-point effort that helped the Lady Mocs down Saint Leo, 81-61, in a key Sunshine State Conference game Wednesday night at Jenkins Field House.
Johnson moved into fifth place on the Lady Mocs' career scoring list with 1,512 points, passing Kelly Charron (1992-95), who had 1,506 points.
The win boosted the Moccasins' record to 18-7 overall, 8-6 in the SSC, and kept them in fourth place and in line to host a first-round game Mar. 3 in the SSC Tournament. Saint Leo fell to 13-11, 6-7 SSC.
A sluggish start saw the Moccasins down by 12, 26-14, with 7:14 left in the first half. A three-pointer by Johnson, though, got them started on a 19-0 run over the next six minutes that put them ahead 33-26 and they kept the lead the rest of the game, shooting 56.3 percent from the field in the second half.
In addition to Johnson's 25 points, the Moccasins got 22 points from Megan Dzikas, a double-double from Nicolle DiRaimo (13 points/12 rebounds) and 16 points from Michaela Hawley. DiRaimo's double-double was her second straight and sixth of the season.
Sierra Williams led Saint Leo with 16 points. The Lions' scoring and rebounding leader, Dominique Daniels, played just 13 minutes and scored four points. She left the game with 8:51 left in the first half with an ankle injury and the Lions up 22-10. She returned in the second half with 13:28 remaining, but played just three more minutes before leaving the game for good.
The Moccasins will take Saturday off and return to action Wednesday night with a 5:30 game at Tampa. The game will be broadcast live on SportsLine Radio Network (SLRN).
