SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball team put their best foot forward on Saturday afternoon as they upended visiting Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras 93-62 in non-conference action from the Bowman Center.
The Lions left little doubt as they took control of the game early on, gaining as much as a 30-11 lead on the visitors at the seven-minute mark of the opening half. SLU started off with a hot hand as they dropped down 60 percent of their shots at one point in the period, heading into the lockers with a commanding 45-22 lead on 16-of-28 shooting.
The second half saw Head Coach Mike Madagan pull some new faces from the bench and put them on the floor, allowing some key newcomers to gain playing time and experience at the college level. With the Lions outscoring Rio Piedras 48-40 in the half, the three-point shooting of the Green & Gold finally awakened as Saint Leo dropped down 7-of-8 treys in the second half.
Four Lions dropped down double-figures in the win as Jamal Thompson scored a team-high 14 points, followed by Brandon Powell and Jeremy Jackson with 12 points each. Senior Jordan Prais added in 10 points in the win.
Defensively, Saladeem Dewberry had a solid day on the boards as he pulled down 10 rebounds for the game-high.
The Lions now turn their attention to another team from Puerto Rico as they face UPR-Bayamon on Monday night. The Lions and Cowboys will square off at 7:30 p.m. in the Bowman Center on the SLU campus.
