SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo men's basketball topped Barry 82-77 inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center for its fourth straight win.
 
Kyran McClure paced Saint Leo (8-9, 5-4 SSC) with 17 points including a 10-for-12 mark from the free throw line, stealing the spot light from Gintaras Bartaskas who notched a career-high in the Green and Gold with 14 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

"We had a great start and a good finish, and as a staff we are proud of the guys sticking through to the end," Head Coach Vince Alexander mentioned following the Lions fourth straight win.

Daniel Duarte tallied 12 points on the night while Isaiah Hill had himself a night scoring seven points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists, missing out on a triple-double. Each guy that stepped on the court for the Lions tallied a bucket.

As a team, the Lions shot a season-best .550-percent from three point range going 11-for-20. Saint Leo finished the game shooting .521 from the field, 25-for-48, and .750 from the charity stripe sinking 21-of-28 shots. Hauling in 32 rebounds on the night, Saint Leo won the rebounding game 32 to 28. 

Alexander went on to say, "We are still learning and growing as a team, and that showed early in the second half as Barry got close in the final few minutes. The guys worked hard and we will enjoy this win for the next day, but we will get back in the gym and prepare for a tough road game Wednesday."
 
Barry (10-6, 5-4 SSC) Isaiah Hobbs led the Bucs in scoring with a team-high 21 points ahead of Tylan Birts' 15 points and David Moya's 10 points.
 
How It Happened

• Saint Leo came out scorching hot running out to a quick 14-2 lead before a 16-6 advantage at the 11:36 media timeout.
• Isaiah Hill, Gintaras Bartaskas, and Daniel Duarte would go off from deep lighting it up going 8-for-10 combined from downtown led by Bartaskas, 4-for-4. The Green and Gold as a team in the first half went 10-for-13 for an impressive 76.9-percent.
• In a one-minute span, Duarte went 3-for-3 to push the Lions ahead, 30-14, 33-16 and then 36-19 with 7:06 to play. Bartaskas followed him up later on in the run on a transition three from Hill.
• Duarte would find Junior Searcy with 29-seconds left for a two-handed jam to cap off the first half as the Lions headed into the break with a 53-38 lead.
• After the Bucs opened the second half with a free throw to cut it to 14, Daniel Duarte came down and drained a three to make it a 17-point gap with 16:25 to play.
• Barry would cut it to 10 points, 64-54, with 11:20 to play in the second half before the Lions continued to push and regained a 14-point lead with 6:49 to play.
• The Bucs would cut it to nine, 74-65 with 3:09 remaining, moments before Tyler Carter drained two free throws to push it back to double-digits, 76-65.
• Despite the Bucs efforts down the stretch, Saint Leo stood tall in the final minute and went on for an 82-77 win. Tyler Carter's floater one free throw and Kyran McClure's two free throws sealed the Green and Gold's fourth straight win. 

Up Next
Saint Leo travels to Florida Southern on Jan. 23 for a 7:30 p.m. tip inside the George Jenkins Field House.
 
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.