SAINT LEO, Fla. – In a physical Sunshine State Conference contest between Rollins College and Saint Leo University, the Saint Leo men's basketball team fell to the Tars in 61-59 heartbreaking fashion, Saturday afternoon from the Marion Bowman Center. The loss pushed the Lions to 4-5 in conference play.

After nearly two full minutes of play in the first half, Rollins jumped on the scoreboard first, thanks to a  jumper from sophomore Alex Blessig. The Lions quickly responded to take the lead, however, when senior Chim Kadima sank a three-pointer from well beyond the arc. After a tough first period, Saint Leo was able to walk into halftime with a 32-28 lead.

After the halftime period expired, both teams came out fighting for victory, but it was Rollins who prevailed, forcing the game into its final seconds to take hom ea 61-59 win. In spite of the loss, the Lions forced 14 Tars turnovers and collected three steals.  

Offensively, the Lions' had three players in double figures, as senior Jerrel Harris led the squad with 15 points. Junior Ron Foxx and senior Chim Kadima collected 14 points and ten points, respectively. Senior Spenser Mitchell also contributed with nine.

Defensively, Kadima led all players with eight rebounds on the night. Harris and Mitchell also collected six apiece.

As a team, the Lions tallied 35 rebounds and 14 assists. The squad shot 15-19 (79 percent) from the free throw line and 18-50 (36 percent) from the field.

The Saint Leo men's basketball team will get back in action on Wednesday, February 5 when they take on the Florida Tech Panthers in Melbourne, Fla. Tipoff for the Sunshine State Conference Contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

For more information on the Lions' basketball squad, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook and 'Follow' the Saint Leo Lions on Twitter and Instagram.