SAINT LEO, Fla. – An ice cold night from beyond the arc, paired with a strong second half from the Thomas (Ga.) Night Hawks, saw the Saint Leo men's basketball team come out on the wrong side of a non-conference matchup inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center Tuesday night, where the Night Hawks topped the Lions 75-58. 

The loss at home was the first of the season for the Green and Gold and was the fourth time this season the Lions were held to below 60 points.
 
Drago Popovic and Isaiah Hill lead the team in scoring with 11 points each while Tyreece Brice scored 10 points off the bench. Pape Ngom cleaned up the glass with nine of the Lions' 38 rebounds. Ngom hauled in four offensive and five defensive boards.
 
"It was disappointing to not get our guys to concentrate tonight, in a game we had an opportunity to win, where the youth and immaturity showed on the court," Vince Alexander, Saint Leo's Head Coach, stated after the loss to the Night Hawks. "They're focused on getting home for the break and I think it showed. We had some players that bought into our game plan and were focused on tonight."
 
"Pape [Ngom] was one of those players that bought in and was more focused on what he had to do on the court for us tonight and not worry about off the court. But, at the end of the day it's our job to continue to coach them and motivate and teach and that's what we are going to do moving forward."
 
Alexander went on to add, "We would've liked to send everyone home and into the holidays with a win but we will get after it right after the break and get prepared for the second half of our season come December 30^th with Lynn."
 
The Basics
Final Score: Thomas (Ga.) 75, Saint Leo 58
Location:  Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 7-8 | Thomas (Ga.) 6-7

How It Happened…
1H | Thomas would make the first bucket, a three from Javoris Cooks before the two teams went scoreless for three minutes. The Night Hawks controlled the opening seven minutes before the Lions took an 11-10 lead off a Jesse Huff jumper with 12:12 to play. The two teams exchanged the lead for the next five minutes before Pape Ngom tied it at 18-18 with 7:40 to go in the opening half. Saint Leo would charge out to a seven-point lead, 29-22, after Tyreece Brice drained a three-pointer from the wing. The Night Hawks wouldn't go away easily as they chipped away at the lead and cut it to one, 29-28, with a jumper from Ivan Tomic. Tyreece Brice ended the first half scoring going two-for-three from the charity stripe after he was fouled trying to get a last-second shot off. The Green and Gold headed into the locker room with a three-point lead, 31-28. | Saint Leo 31-28 |
 
2H | Thomas came out of the break and tied things up with a 4-1 run at 32-32 with 18:39 to play. Saint Leo would push its lead back to four, 36-32, on an Isaiah Hill layup before the Night Hawks took over at 37-36. From there, Thomas would race out to a 12-lead, 51-39, with 11:10 to play and never look back, using the deep ball to its advantage. The Lions would get as close as 10, 55-45, with 9:35 to play but couldn't crack the bubble as the Night Hawks continued to let it rain from downtown to push its lead to 23, 68-45, with 5:58 to play. Saint Leo would chip away at the lead and get it to 15 points, but it was too little too late as the scoreboard showed 1:11, and the Green and Gold trailed 73-58. Thomas would make two free throws to end the scoring for the game and go on for the 17-point victory. | Thomas (Ga.) 75-58 |
 
Points to Note

• The loss at home was the first for the Lions on the year moving to 3-1 on their own hardwood. The Lions have been kept in check to under 60 points in four contest, which make up four of the eight losses on the year.
• Drago Popovic scored 11 points on a 5-for-9 performance from the field with a 1-for-2 mark from the charity stripe.  
• Isaiah Hill tallied 11 points on a 5-for-14 performance including one free throw.
• Tyreece Brice came off the bench and scored 10 points for the Lions with a 3-for-7 night with a 2-for-2 mark from beyond the arc.
• As a team, the Lions shot 35.9-percent from the field (23-64) including a 55.6-percent from the free throw (10-18).

For Thomas (Ga.)

• Thomas moved to 6-7 on the year after scoring 47 second half points with a 8-of-12 performance from downtown. On the night, the Night Hawks connected on 12-three's to propel themselves past the Lions.
• Javoris Cooks paced the team with 17 points where Hezekiah Goodwin scored 16 points off the bench.
• Ivan Tomic and Jalen Bonds closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Saint Leo will return to action in the Marion Bowman Activities Center on December 30^th when the Lions welcome in Sunshine State Conference foe, Lynn University, for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.
 
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.