DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Saint Leo men's basketball traveled to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and picked up its first road Sunshine State Conference win, 82-78, of the season inside the ICI Center. The win moved the Lions to 2-0 in SSC, which marks the first time since 2012-13 that the Lions open conference play with a 2-0 record.
 
The Lions' 2-0 start matches the 2012-13 season when the Green and Gold defeated Nova Southeastern, 72-55, and then defeated Lynn, 69-59, to open up SSC play. Saint Leo adds the win at Embry-Riddle to the first SSC win this season to the win at home over Florida Southern on Nov. 15.
 
"It is tough to get road wins, let alone in the SSC," Vince Alexander stated, Saint Leo's head men's basketball coach. "To come to Embry-Riddle and be able to move to 2-0 in conference play is always nice early in the year."
 
Alexander went on to add, "Our guys put in hard work during the week at the free throw line and to protect the ball; that showed tonight going 18-for-22 from the line. As a coaching staff, it's always good to see that if the guys buy-in to our plan that we can compete to our highest level."
 
Junior Searcy turned in a 20 point-seven rebound performance going 7-for-14 from the field including 2-for-4 from downtown. Searcy added a 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line on the night.
 
Daniel Duarte came off the bench and scored 15 points on five three-pointers. Duarte played 18 minutes and went 5-for-6 from downtown. DeAndre King added 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field. King added two three-pointers to the Lions 10-for-24 performance from downtown.
 
As a team, the Lions shot 81.8% (18-22) from the charity stripe after a 6-for-6 performance in the first half. Saint Leo limited their turnovers to just nine on the night to the Eagles 11.
 
"We worked hard over the past week, especially these past two days, to eliminate our turnovers," Alexander mentioned. "Going from double-digit turnovers to keep it under 10 for the full 40 minutes is a great testament to our guys' hard work in the gym. We aren't there yet, and have some things to work on, but we will get there."
 
The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo 82, Embry-Riddle 78
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 4-3, 2-0 SSC | Embry-Riddle 2-2, 0-2 SSC

How It Happened…
1H | Junior Searcy would put the first points on the board with a jumper to make it 2-0. Embry-Riddle would turn it on and take over the lead holding a 17-8 lead before Searcy nailed a three-pointer, to make it 17-11. The Lions would tie things at 17-17 to cap off a 9-0 run with two Kyran McClure free throws, a Jake Montgomery jumper and a fast break layup by DeAndre King. Saint Leo would run out to a 28-21 lead with 5:37 to play after an Isaiah Hill layup. The Eagles would cut it to one, 28-27, with 3:29 to play before the Lions quickly pushed it back to six, 36-30 with 1:35 on the clock. An Embry-Riddle and-one allowed the Eagles to cut the lead to 36-33 before Daniel Duarte hit one from downtown to put the Lions up six at the break. | Saint Leo 39-33 |
 
2H | Out of the break, the Lions would maintain their lead, staying ahead by three before the Eagles made two free throws to cut it to 42-41 with 15:57 to play. After ERAU took a one point lead, 43-42, the two teams would exchange points and play close with both teams taking no more than a three-point lead for the last 15:30. DeAndre King would hit a three-pointer to push the Lions ahead 80-78 with 27-ticks left where Saint Leo would maintain the lead and go on for the win. Kyran McClure would hit two free throws late to help seal the win as the Lions defense held the Eagles to two turnovers and a missed three-pointer over the last 1:29 of play. | Saint Leo 82-78 |
 
Points to Note

• The Lions open SSC play 2-0 for the first time since 2012-13.
• Junior Searcy paced the Lions with 20 points followed by Daniel Duarte, 15, DeAndre King, 10, and Tyreece Brice, nine.
• Saint Leo shot 45.8% (27-59) from the field, 41.7% (10-24) from downtown and 81.8% (18-22) from the free throw line.
• Searcy added seven rebounds to his stat line to lead the team on the night.

For Embry-Riddle

• Five Eagles scored in double-figures as ERAU fell to 0-2 in SSC play.
• Rudy Bibb-Boyd paced the Eagles in scoring with 19 points as Nashad Mackey recorded his double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Luka Majstorovic completed his double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Embry-Riddle shot 38.7% (24-62) from the field and 27.6% (8-29) from downtown. The Eagles contended with the Lions from the free throw line, shooting 81.5% (22-27).

Saint Leo will remain on the road as the Lions travel to St. Augustine, Fla. on Nov. 21 to take on Flagler at 7:30 p.m.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's basketball, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.