MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 27, 2022) - No matter the day, the St. Thomas University (STU) Women's Basketball team (8-0, 3-0 SUN) comes to play. The Bobcats welcomed Florida National University (2-4) on Sunday afternoon from the Fernandez Family Center. St. Thomas continues their hottest start in the Candace Walker era and second best in the program history with the 8-0 start. 

St. Thomas had a slow start to the first quarter as FNU was on top through the media timeout. For the final five minutes of the first quarter, the defense kicked in once again for STU as they closed it out on a 10-0 run. Jayde Johnson and Brooke Bogatz banked in a pair of threes to lead the way. 

The second quarter had STU on top to start at 17-13 which set the tone for a stronger 10-minute period. St. Thomas eliminated the game behind the arc for the Conquistadors as they shot 0-6. Kasey Gagan was doing it all for the Bobcats, almost securing a double-double in the first half with 11 points and eight rebounds. The Bobcats led by as much as 14 in the second quarter. 

The third was another hot start for both teams and the Conquistadors would not go down without a battle. FNU shot a game high 61.5% from the floor while STU was 42.9% from the field but had help with shooting 80% from the charity strip. Bogatz came alive and scored eight points in the third, while the defense locked in on the full court pressure and forced nine turnovers, six resulting in a steal.  

Heading into the final frame, STU had a 17-point lead. Early foul trouble for Florida National led to 11 free throws for St. Thomas which would help extend the lead. Low scoring for both ends was flipped to strong defense as the Bobcats only allowed for nine points in the final frame and no free throws.  

Both teams had paint presence throughout, scoring 28 points each. The Bobcats excelled with points off turnovers (17-8) and second chance points (14-8). Kasey Gagan recorded her first double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Bogatz (14), Brown (11), and Franco (13) were also in double figures in points. Mya Victor comes off the bench strong defensively with nine rebounds and five blocks. 

The Bobcats will get back to conference action with the Georgia road trip to take on Coastal Georgia on Thursday and then Thomas on Saturday.  

-STU-