SAINT LEO, Fla. – After an exciting first half between the Saint Leo Lions and Nova Southeastern Sharks, cold shooting in the second half for the Green and Gold allowed the Sharks to run away with the Sunshine State Conference game inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center, 91-77.
 
Kyran McClure led the Lions double-digit scoring quartet with 16 points with a 9-for-9 mark from the free throw line. Junior Searcy, Daniel Duarte and Drago Popovic joined McClure in double-figures. McClure finished the night with nine assists and two steals. Searcy led the team with a game-high three blocks. 

"We got down quick in the first half and but the guys battled and got us within two at the break," Head Coach Vince Alexander stated. "We lost focus in the second half and the little details allowed the Sharks to transition into a large lead. We will continue to learn, and look towards Saturday's game." 
 
The Basics
Final Score: Nova Southeastern 91, Saint Leo 77
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 12-15, 8-8 SSC | Nova Southeastern 15-6, 9-6 SSC
 
How It Happened…
1H | Nova Southeastern started things off quickly out of the gates with a 14-4 run before the Lions called a quick timeout. Saint Leo would use a 12-2 run to capture a 16-14 lead after three-straight three-pointers; Daniel Duarte would hit two as Kyran McClure nailed the other. Once the Lions took the 16-14 lead, the first half would see 14 lead changes and five ties. Out of a Sharks timeout, DeAndre King would hit another transition three to push the Lions a head 19-16 with 10:07 to play. The two teams would turn the first half into a dunk contest and three-point contest. Nova Southeastern's Malik Hardy would throw down a monster jam at the 5:14 mark to put the Sharks ahead 34-32. King would toss up a pass Drago Popovic where he slammed it down with authority to make the Green and Gold ahead again with 4:53 to play. Both teams would trade leads over the final four minutes before the Sharks held a two point lead after a 35-foot last second three-pointer from Nick Smith. | Nova Southeastern 45-43 |
 
2H | The Sharks came out of the break and controlled the second half. Nova Southeastern would push its lead to double-digits, 10 points, with 15:39 left to play, using a 12-4 run. The Lions would cut it back to single-digits before the Sharks extended their lead to 20 points with 6:46 on the clock. After the Green and Gold cut it to 16 points with 5:15 to go, the Sharks continued to spread the floor and made it a 19-point game with 3:06 to go, heading into the final media timeout, 87-68. Saint Leo would eventually cut it to 14, before the two teams reached the final with 50-ticks to play with a King three-pointer. | Nova Southeastern 91-77 |
 
Points to Note

• Saint Leo moves to 12-15 on the year with an 8-8 mark in the SSC.
• Four players were in double-digits as Kyran McClure led the pack with 16 points, including a 9-for-9 mark from the free throw line.
• Junior Searcy added 15 points while Daniel Duarte chipped in with 14 and Dragp Popovic with 10. 
• Saint Leo won the rebounding battle 31-30 on the night, led by Searcy with seven boards and Popovic with six. 
• The Lions shot 50% from the field before a 42.9% in the second half. After shooting a blazing 53.8% (7-13) from downtown in the first half, before a 2-for-9 mark in the second half.  

For Nova Southeastern

• The Sharks improve to 15-6 and 9-6 SSC on the year.
• Nova Southeastern swept the season series behind David Dennis' game-high 27 points on the night.
• Three other players joined Dennis in double-figures with Nick Smith scoring 18 points, Dwayne Gibson with 13 and Pat Huffine with 11. 
• The Sharks used a 14-for-16 mark from the charity stripe, to help take the win.

Next Up
Saint Leo remains at home to host Barry at 7:30 p.m. inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center as part of Autism Awareness night.
 
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.