SAINT LEO, Fla. - A tough battle inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center Friday night saw the Saint Leo men's basketball team fall in the season opener to the 20th-ranked Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. The Lions contested the Chargers for the full 40 minutes but UAH came out on top, 89-86.

It was quite the show for the full 600-person crowd for the home opener, where four Lions scored in double-figures highlighted by Frank Webb Jr.'s near quadruple-double. Webb posted 15 points on the night and lived in the passing lane swiping 11 balls from the Chargers. The senior from Baltimore, Md. fell one assist (9) and three rebounds (7) shy of the unbelievable feat. 

Wade Coomer came off the bench and sparked the offense with 21 points going 7-for-13 from downtown. Grant Disken and Francis Sio each tallied 17 points in the setback. As a team, Saint Leo shot 46.9-percent from the field and 38.1-percent from beyond the arc. 

Alabama-Huntsville saw four players as well in double-digits led by Max Shulman with 24. The guard used a 4-for-11 night behind the arc to put together the highest points in the contest. 
 

The Lions came out blazing using pressure and quick scoring to jump out to a 15-point lead, to catch UAH on it's heels, 24-9. The Chargers battled to close the gap using full court pressure themselves to cut the gap over the next seven minutes to trail by just three, 32-29 with 5:50 to play in the opening period. Saint Leo would hold the lead for 19:02 of the opening period where Alabama-Huntsville tied the game at 38 apiece with 58-ticks left before Frank Webb Jr. hit a step back jumper to take a 40-38 lead. The Chargers' Luke Burnett drained a three-pointer with six-seconds to play in the first half as the half came to a close with UAH up one, 41-40. 

In a tight second half, there would be four lead changes and three ties where UAH led for a majority of the final half of regulation. The Chargers held an eight-point lead 82-74 with under four minutes to play before the Lions cut it to just four, 82-78. A step back three from Burnett for UAH pushed it back to seven, 85-78. Wade Coomer drained his 19th, 20th, and 21st points on a three with 42-ticks left. Over the final 40-seconds, The Lions would get within one point two times including with 1-second to go on Grant Disken's 1-and-1 free throw attempts, 87-86. An unlikely foul by Disken sent the Chargers to the line, going 2-for-2, with a full-court to go and 1.5-on the clock. A jump ball in the Green and Gold's offensive half saw time expire and the game come to a conclusion. 

Up Next
Saint Leo will tango with Montevallo Saturday in game two of the season at 1:00 p.m. followed by the Spartans and Chargers taking the court to close out the GSC vs SSC Challenge. 

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.