SAINT LEO, Fla. – Robert Fry II and Jared Coomer each tallied career-highs to improve the Saint Leo men's basketball team's overall record to 5-4, taking care of the University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles, 70-57. The midweek non-conference tilt in the Marion Bowman Activities Center lowered the Eagles season mark to 3-9.
 
Lance Randall reflected, "We came out flat and it showed in ball toughness and execution. Ultimately, that slow start is on me. Rob and Jared we're dynamite and got us going."
 
Fry broke out a career-high 24 points going 6-for-9 and just shy of perfect on the free throw line going 12-for-13. Meanwhile, Jared Coomer tallied his career-high with 23 points going 9-for-13, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 on the line.
 
Francis Sio's good 3-pointer propelled the Lions 13-8 over the Eagles by five to record the first two-possession lead of the game. The Green and Gold spent the remaining 13 minutes protecting the thin lead. Saint Leo recorded a five-point advantage three more times in the first. In the 12^th minute, J. Coomer's layup moved the scoreboard to 15-10 followed by a bucket from downtown by no other than Grant Disken, 18-13. The Eagles answered with a five-point surge to level the game at 18 with 8:50 left before the halftime break. Fry hit a jumper after converting a pair of free throws to lift Saint Leo by four over Fort Lauderdale. J. Coomer's pair of free throws added to Fry's work to end the half up by six, 28-22.
 
"Valentino Hart Jr. gave us very good minutes off the bench and Luke Haasl was effective in the zone. We strung some stops together in the second half and got separation," continued Randall.
 
J. Coomer became unstoppable in the second. The sophomore forward tallied seven points in the opening three minutes. His work handed the Lions' their first double-digit lead of the game at 37-26. J. Coomer and Fry took turns extending the gap. Following Coomer's seven-point run, Fry contributed seven points from the charity stripe for the largest lead of the game (19), lifting Saint Leo 50-31 with 12:37 left on the clock. The non-conference programs spent the rest of the evening exchanging buckets. The Eagles closed out the night with good 3-pointer in the last 14 seconds for the 70-57 final.
 
"Our crowd was great. It was a good last home win inside the Bowman before Christmas," concluded Randall.
 
Saint Leo will compete in the Mocs Christmas Classic, a two-day tournament starting on Saturday, Dec. 18. The Lions are set to tip-off against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets at 5:30 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's basketball team 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.