MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Less than 18-hours after dropping the season opener, Saint Leo men's basketball evened its season record with a 71-58 win over Montevallo, the Gulf South Conference vs Sunshine State Conference Challenge host, Sunday afternoon inside the Trustmark Arena.

"Another very good defensive team effort today," head coach Lance Randall commented after the win. "Our ball movement and decision making was very good in half court and in transition. A good win against a very physical team on their home court."
 
For the second straight contest, Saint Leo (1-1) came out of the gates hot and ran out to an early 15-4 lead six minutes into the game, behind 12 points from Wade Coomer from downtown. The Green and Gold would extend its lead to 15-points, 23-8, before the Falcons (1-1) closed the gap with a 13-5 run to 27-21. The two teams would exchange points over the final seven minutes before Saint Leo headed into the break leading by 11, 41-30.
 
The Lions used a 12-4 start to the second half to run its lead to 19 points, 53-34. The Falcons would cut it to 13 points, 55-42 before the Green and Gold pushed it to 21 points with a 10-2 run. Saint Leo would remain ahead by double-digits before closing the game with a 13-point victory, 71-58.
 
Three players scored in double-figures for the Green and Gold led by Isaiah Hill's 16 points. Wade Coomer, who had 12 points in the first half, scored 14 points for the Lions, tying with Yalen Reed for the game. Coomer paced the team with seven rebounds, one ahead of Reed's six. Hill finished the game with the lone two Green and Gold free throws, going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Freshman Erik Lahm scored his first points in the Green and Gold going 3-for-3 from the field for six points. 
 
The Lions as a team shot 48-percent from the field including a 34.4-percent from downtown to distance themselves from the home Falcons. Forcing 11 turnovers in the contest, Saint Leo would score 23 points off of those turnovers while dominating the paint, tallying 34 of the 71 total points inside the paint.

At the Gulf South Conference vs Sunshine State Conference Challenge in Montevallo, Ala., Alabama-Huntsville went 2-0 on the weekend while Montevallo and Saint Leo each went 1-1, with Tampa going 0-2. 
 
Up Next
Saint Leo returns home to host the Saint Leo Classic with Tampa, Georgia College and Flagler all in attendance Nov. 16-17. The first game of the classic will be Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. with the Spartans and Saints before a 2 p.m. matchup with the Lions and Bobcats.  
 
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. Don't miss out on the 2019-20 Basketball Pride Pass, now on sale. The Saint Leo Basketball Pride Pass gives each fan admission to all home men's and women's basketball events. For more information visit here.