SAINT LEO, Fla. - Second-seeded Saint Leo men's basketball knocked out seventh-seeded Barry University from the Sunshine State Conference tournament with a 67-58 final in the quarterfinals Tuesday inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center. 

Saint Leo (5-1) knocked off Barry (2-5) by nine points and advances to the SSC semifinals Thursday at home, as the Florida Tech Panthers come to town after defeating Tampa 90-84 in double-overtime. 

"That was a gritty win over a very good, well-coached Barry team," Head Coach Lance Randall said following the game. "We battled and competed at a high level every possession. I am very proud of this group. We had four guys who battled through ailments that would have sent Cal Ripken Jr. to the dugout and they all went 10 days without touching a basketball. We definitely looked like a team that hadn't practiced in a week and a half offensively at times but we fought with focus. We found another way to win."

Randall continued, "This is a very tough-minded team and we play with great connection and synergy. These guys play hard as heck for each other. We will move on from this one and refocus and get ready for our semifinal against an explosive Florida Tech team."

In the win, Rusty Moorer, Grant Disken, and Jared Coomer paced the team in scoring with double-digits with 15, 14, and 12 points, respectively. Frank Webb Jr. tallied a team-high 10 rebounds while Moorer added five rebounds and four assists to his stat line. 

A tight open to the game saw both teams hold a slight advantage where it was Saint Leo who held a four-point lead multiple times before building out to a five-point lead with 4:40 to play on a Wade Coomer three. The Buccaneers battled back to cut it to one, 23-22, but a quick run allowed the Green and Gold to take a 10-point lead, 32-22, with 1:40 on the clock. A pair of Bucs' free throws ended the half scoring with the Lions in front 34-26. 

Saint Leo started the second half outscoring Barry 14-9 to take a 13-point lead, 48-35 with 11:30 to play. The Lions would hold a three-possession lead and get up by as many as 14, 63-49 on a Cantia Rahming dunk. Barry cut the deficit to just nine, 67-58, but a little too late as the clock struck zero with the Green and Gold advancing to the semifinals. 

2021 SSC Tournament
No. 1 Palm Beach Atlantic will host No. 4 Florida Southern, who defeated No. 5 Rollins 88-82. 
No. 2 Saint Leo will host No. 3 Florida Tech, who defeated No. 6 Tampa 90-84 in 2 OT

Up Next
Saint Leo will host Florida Tech Thursday at a time later to be determined inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center for the SSC tournament semifinals. 

For more information on the Saint Leo men's basketball program, 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.

How to Watch
Lions fans are able to watch the game and follow live stats via the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network where the Green and Gold's home games will be streamed and carry live statistics. For viewing any of the Green and Gold's contests against conference opponents, go to sunshinestateconference.tv or directly to the Lions' portal HERE. For following along with the live stats, fans can view them HERE. For more coverage of the Saint Leo softball program or any of the University's intercollegiate events, go to saintleolions.com/coverage.

Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.