SAINT LEO, Fla. - Up by three with 10-seconds to go, Isaiah Hill blocked Florida Southern's Jonathan Lawton attempt to tie the game before Saint Leo held on to knock off Florida Southern 85-78 inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center in the Lions' home finale.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game and would go down to the wire," Head Coach Vince Alexander mentioned after the Lions held on to defeat the Moccasins. "When it was tied at half, and they came out in a hurry and went up by seven, we just instilled in our guys to stick to the game plan and trust us, the coaching staff."

After grabbing the rebound from the blocked three-point attempt, Isaiah Hill found Kyran McClure before the Mocs fouled McClure. McClure went to the free throw line and drained two free throws making it 85-78. FSC's Slinky Jones' last second three was off the mark as Saint Leo (13-14, 10-9 SSC) picked up its 10th Sunshine State Conference win. 

Alexander continued, "sticking to the plan and believing in what we said paid off in the end and we came up with four key stops down the stretch allowing us to hold on for the win."

"Throughout the game, we took some bad shots, but they guys moved the ball and got back on track. Isaiah Hill's block on Lawton was a perfect timed block and we needed him to step up big and he delivered."

Kyran McClure paced the Green and Gold with 21 points where Gintaras Bartaskas, Yalen Reed and Tyler Carter added double-figures from the bench for the Lions. Bartaskas drained five three-pointers on his way to scoring 17 points while Reed scored 16 points and Carter 10. Reed led the Lions in rebounding, hauling in eight boards on the night. 

Prior to tip, Saint Leo honored its three seniors, Daniel Duarte, Junior Searcy and Pape Ngom. Alexander added, "We will enjoy this win and enjoy honoring our seniors (Junior, Danny and Pape), but we still have work to do and will get back to the gym to focus on Barry."

The win secures at least sixth place in the Sunshine State Conference standings heading into the regular season finale.

Florida Southern (20-7, 13-6 SSC) saw Jonathan Lawton and Brett Hanson lead the team with 30 points and 29 points, respectively. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saint Leo ran out to a 4-0 start with a first possession slam dunk from Junior Searcy and two free throws from Kyran McClure. After the Mocs cut it to one, Saint Leo pushed it back to four with an Isaiah Hill three pointer, 7-3. FSC tied things up with back-to-back quick layups with 15:14 to play, 7-7. 
• Florida Southern used the momentum and sprinted out toa  quick seven point lead, 14-7 before McClure's three and Rusty Moorer's jumper brought the Green and Gold within two, 14-12. Gintaras Bartaskas would nail a three to put the Lions back in front, 15-14. After a quick tie, 15-15, the Lions used their own momentum and ran out to a double-digit lead, 28-18, and 30-19. 
• The Mocs closed the half outscoring the Lions 19-8, for a halftime score of 38-38.
• Florida Southern came out of the break red-hot running out to an eight-point lead, 46-38 and a nine point lead, 50-41 with 14:54 to play. Saint Leo would chip away at the deficit and bring the game to within two on a Bartaskas three before another Bartaskas three pushed the Lions ahead 56-55. 
• After three minutes of one-possession play, the game came to a 63-63 tie and a 65-65 tie before McClure's free throw put the Lions ahead by one. Saint Leo would play in front for the final five minutes. With under a minute to play and a four-point game, Isaiah Hill would cause three turnovers with two steals and one huge block on a potential game-tying three-pointer with 10-ticks left. 
• Saint Leo went 5-for-9 from the charity stripe down the stretch to earn the win on its home court for the final time in 2018-19. 

Up Next
Saint Leo travels to Miami Shores to take on Barry in a battle for fifth place in the Sunshine State Conference. The Lions and Bucs are scheduled to tip at 4 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.