HIALEAH, Fla. ( Jan. 18, 2023) – Florida National University’s quest for redemption failed to come to fruition Wednesday afternoon after falling to the Florida Memorial University Lions 100-57. The Conquistadors (7-9) came into the contest splitting their weekend at the CAC Alliance at Fisher College while the Lions (13-5) sat atop the Sun Conference following three straight victories. The loss marks the second home loss at Bucky Dent Park for the Conquistadors this season.
The first quarter was less than ideal for the Conquistadors, as the Lions pushed the pace of the match and garnered a 25-13 point lead at the end of the period. Janelisse Marty Marrero put on a clinic in the opening period with eight points in 10 minutes of play shooting 3-5 from the field (60%).
FNU, unlike Marty Marrero, struggled to get anything going collectively shooting just 38.5% (5-13) from the field before heading to the second.
In the second, the Lions continued to wreak havoc on the host team, dropping 25 points to the
Conquistadors’ 10. FNU did manage to shoot 50% (6-12) before the half, yet still faced a 22-point deficit at the break. Marty Marrero had 16 points at the break while Kathyann Frese-Castillo had six points on 2-4 shooting from behind the arc.
The second half saw Catalina Valenzuela rattle off five points in the third before heading to the fourth. Marty Marrero solidified her explosive performance for the Conquistadors with another six points before the final frame, as FNU trailed 73-43.
The Lions seemed determined to get to 100 points, pushing the pace and deflecting passes on defense for any easy transition layups they could muster. The moment finally came when a fastbreak layup from Chantel Barnett sent the FMU bench into an uproar. FNU inbounded the ball as the clock trickled the game to a close. Jaycee Omeir made a huge impact in the fourth quarter with a quick seven points in just 12 minutes of play for the contest.
Marty Marrero had another solid performance with 25 points, five rebounds and two assists. This loss is also the first time an opponent has scored 100 points against the Conquistadors this season.
Up Next: The Conquistadors take on Voorhees next Thursday on the road.
