LAKELAND, Fla. (February 14, 2024) - The St. Thomas University (STU) Women's Basketball has officially taken the lead in the Sun Conference after a big win over (RV) Southeastern University. The Bobcats advance to 9-2 in conference play after defeating the Fire on Wednesday evening 79-74. 

The Fire kicked off the match in the lead, but the Bobcats were quick to take over. St. Thomas outscored Southeastern 17-15 in quarter one, nine points coming from the Bobcats capitalizing on turnovers. Brooke Bogatz and Marta Franco each put up six points in favor of the Bobcats, starting their successful run.  

The second quarter was evenly matched, each team scoring 21 points. Franco continued her run, adding eight more points to her tally, entering double figures before the half. Camila Flefil entered the game and put up six points while Bogatz notched six rebounds.  As the game reached intermission, the Bobcats led 38-36. 

The back-and-forth quickly began in the third quarter, but not for long as the Bobcats went on an 18-4 run against the Fire. The Bobcats scored 22 points in the quarter, eight of them coming from Bogatz who also picked up three more rebounds, earning herself a double-double performance. Bogatz finished the game with 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. St. Thomas led by eight heading into the final quarter.  

The Fire managed to outscore the Bobcats in quarter four, but they still fell short. Flefil and Paige McDonald both entered double figures in the fourth, while Franco and Bogatz continued to add more to their totals, Franco finishing the match up with 23 points. Bogatz put it away with one last free throw, the Bobcats to a 79-74 victory.  

Up next, the Bobcats will continue their week on the road with a game against Ave Maria University, in Ave Maria, Fla. on Saturday February 17th at 2 p.m. 

-STU-