Daytona Beach, Fla. – The Marymount women's hoops squad cruised past Roanoke on Friday, 56-32, before dropping a tight contest to Springfield, 61-59, to round out its efforts in the 2014 Daytona Beach Shootout.  The Saints will tote a 7-3 mark heading into the new year.

Miranda Krott registered yet another double-double in Marymount's surefire triumph over Roanoke to open the weekend, as the junior forward hauled in a game-high 17 boards to supplement her 12-point showing.  Classmate Kievanna Lacey posted a game-high 13 points, while sophomore Kiki Laux also chipped in 12.

Laux notched the first point of the game at 19:26, but Roanoke took its only lead just two minutes later when Meghan Gadell drained a triple and secured a brief 5-4 advantage for the Maroons.  Marymount answered with three consecutive baskets to build an 11-5 lead with 16:20 remaining.  Over the final ten minutes, the Saints rallied for an 11-2 burst to tow a 32-16 advantage into the break. 

The second half continued to lean heavily in the Saints' favor, as Laux hit three consecutive jumpers to eventually put Marymount up by 17 with 17:32 showing.  Roanoke still faced the same deficit with 9:43 left to play, and, despite cutting the gap to 16 very briefly, ultimately watched the Saints cruise comfortably to their seventh victory of the season in the low-scoring final minutes. 

Unfortunately, Marymount could not match its opening day success against a strong Springfield squad on Saturday afternoon.  The Pride sunk a three-pointer with 1:00 remaining on the clock to swipe a 60-59 lead, then converted a free throw to seal the deal and saddle the Saints with their third loss – a 61-59 effort – of the year. 

For the Saints, Lacey once again netted an impressive 17 points, while Laux poured in 15 to round out the offense.

After jumping out to an early 9-6 lead, the Saints saw the Pride use an 8-0 run – a layup and back-to-back triples – to give Springfield a 14-9 advantage with 13:26 left in the first half.

Midway through the frame, the Saints pulled within four, but a quick rebuttal from Springfield pushed the lead back up to six.

After a bucket from Krott with 30 seconds remaining, the score stood at 32-26 in the Pride's favor.  An ensuing triple from Springfield's hot-handed Lexi Windwer, however, would bump the advantage to nine heading into the break.

The Saints kicked off the second half on a much-needed 15-3 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from Lacey to give Marymount a three-point lead with 14:22 remaining in the contest.  Just 1:46 later, a steal and subsequent jumper saw Springfield knot the score at 42 apiece.  From there, back-to-back triples gave the Pride a six-point advantage midway through the second half.

Battling down the stretch, Leah Hurst netted a three-pointer for the Saints with 1:16 remaining – a clutch shot which gave Marymount a 59-57 lead.  On the ensuing possession, Windwer continued her hot streak and sunk yet another triple to give the Pride the final lead of the contest and the win.

Marymount will be back in action on January 3, 2015, when it travels to CAC foe Mary Washington for a Saturday afternoon showdown.  Tip time is set for 1 p.m. in Fredericksburg, Va.