SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo men's basketball held on to top the high scoring offense of Embry-Riddle, 92-85, Wednesday night in Sunshine State Conference action inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center.

"They're a great offensive team, top-5 in the country in a number of categories," head coach Lance Randall stated. "I was very disappointed at how we lost our poise mentally and had a lack of discipline. We have to be better at execution down the stretch."

Kyran McClure led Saint Leo (11-5, 5-3 SSC) in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Isaiah Hill (19), Rusty Moorer (18) and Gintaras Bartaskas (13) joined in the double-digit frenzy.
 
Hill and Moorer each sank nine free throws while Bartaskas shot a perfect 100-percent on the night going 3-for-3, all from downtown, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
 
Saint Leo had just nine turnovers, tying the fewest in a game all year while causing 20 Embry-Riddle turnovers; the Lions had just one turnover at the halftime break to the Eagles' 11. The Green and Gold notched 26 points off turnovers, also receiving 24 points off the bench. The Lions turned in 18 assists moving the ball around for the second-most in a game this season. 

Randall added, "I thought our ball movement versus their zone was outstanding and we dominated them defensively in the first half."

Embry-Riddle (13-4, 5-4 SSC) came into the game as the highest-scoring offense in conference play at 99.1 points per game. Luka Majstorovic paced the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds with Dru Nickson, Elijah Jenkins and Romeo Crouch chipping in 17, 14, and 13 points respectively.
 
The Lions came out of the gates blazing hot as the Green and Gold led for the entire first half and finished holding the lead the entire way. Saint Leo and Embry-Riddle would play a one-possession game until the 16:41 mark where the Lions pushed its lead to five, 9-4.
 
A quick burst set the Green and Gold go up, 14-6 and then again 16-8, before the Eagles cut it back to six, 16-10. The Lions used a 15-2 run for a 31-12 lead with 8:34 to play. Both Saint Leo and Embry-Riddle ended the half trading points over the final eight minutes of play as the Lions headed into the halftime up 48-29.
 
The Lions continued to hold a 15-plus point lead including pushing it to 23 with 7:40 to play, 70-47 on back-to-back threes from Bartaskas. The Eagles soared back to cut the game to just five points, 88-83, with 20-seconds left after knocking down back-to-back threes to the Lions' single dunk from Yalen Reed.
 
Saint Leo added two more points from Rusty Moorer before a layup from ERAU made it back to five points. Kyran McClure would sink two free throws with 9-seconds left to make it a seven-point game as the final three-pointer by the Eagles fell short, leaving the Lions with the win, 92-85.

"We think like champions but we don't always behave like champions. It is a process, and these guys are learning on how to do winning things. I believe in them, and I know we will get there. This team's passion to win is palpable," Randall concluded.
 
Beyond the Boxscore

• Saint Leo improves to 8-1 against Embry-Riddle all time.
• The Lions held the Eagles to 85 points, 14.1 points lower than their season average (99.1), which was the highest-scoring team in conference games.
• Saint Leo shot 50% from the field (26-52), 42.9% from beyond the arc (12-28), and 71.8% from the charity stripe (28-39). 
• The Lions have knocked down 12 threes in three other games this season; Flagler (11/17/19), Florida Tech (11/23/19), and Valdosta State (11/29/19).

Up Next
Saint Leo remains home to host Barry on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. where the Lions will put on a basketball festival, Hoopapalooza with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. prior to the tip for the women's game at 5:30 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. 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.