WINTER PARK, Fla. – After holding a double-digit lead with just five minutes to play in regulation, Saint Leo men's basketball held on for a one-point, 63-62, win over Rollins inside the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center Thursday night.
 
The Lions (9-4, 3-2 SSC), who led wire-to-wire for the first win of the new year, finished the game going 8-of-9 from the floor while knocking down four-of-five free throws to clinch the win. Saint Leo moves its win streak to three-straight on the year with a two-game win streak over the Tars in the all-time series.

"A gusty performance and a typical game after an eight day layoff," Head Coach Lance Randall commented following the road win. "With only three days of practice for both teams showed with execution, not at a premium, but I liked our will to win and our toughness again tonight to get a tough road SSC win."
 
Isaiah Hill paced the team in scoring with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting including a perfect 2-for-2 night from beyond the arc. Rusty Moorer (18 points) and Kyran McClure (13 points) went 4-for-7 and 3-for-9, respectively, from downtown on the night where the Green and Gold finished the night shooting 45.8-percent (11-for-24) from three-point territory; the Lions' 11 three's mark the eighth game of 10-plus three's this season.
 
Rollins' (8-4, 2-2 SSC) last-second shot was off the mark as the Tars dropped the Sunshine State Conference matchup. The Tars were led by Conner McKim with 20 points, followed by Jakobi Bonner (18 points) and Kyle Marion (12 points).
 
Saint Leo opened up the game hot, running out to a quick lead and holding a 12-point lead at the break. In the first half, where the Green and Gold led for the entire 20 minutes, Isaiah Hill started things off with the first six points before the Lions pushed out to a 13-point lead, 26-13, capped by a step-back three-pointer from Gintaras Bartaskas. Saint Leo used the three-ball to propel itself ahead of Rollins in the first half shooting 7-for-13.
 
The Tars came out of the break and used a quick start to close to within eight points, twice, 31-23 and 33-25, before the Lions extended it back to 12 points, 37-25. Rollins used a 14-2 run to tie things at 39-39, where the two teams would exchange points over the next two minutes as Saint Leo held a 43-41 lead into the media timeout with 7:34 to play.
 
Out of the under-eight media, the Lions used a quick 12-3 run via the three-ball to take a 55-44 advantage into the Rollins 30-second timeout with just under five minutes to play. The Tars flipped the script and used an 8-2 run to cut it to five, 57-52 with 2:31 to play. A tightly contested one-possession game down the stretch saw Saint Leo hold on and survive on the road in Winter Park for a 63-62 victory. The Lions would go 4-for-5 from the free-throw line while the Tars got within one point twice in the final 22-seconds but couldn't get the final shot at the buzzer to fall.
 
Up Next
Saint Leo returns home to host Palm Beach Atlantic in the first home game of the new year at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4 inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center.

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.