DELAND, Fla. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team competed in a defensive duel against Stetson Tuesday night, but the Hatters came away with the final basket that gave SU the slim 54-53 win over the Lions at J. Ollie Edmunds Center in exhibition play.
 
The Green & Gold outshot the Hatters, hitting over 37% from the field.  Sophomore Grant Disken was virtually perfect from the floor, shooting 4-for-4, including a perfect 2-for-2 from long range and 5-for-6 performance from the charity stripe to tally 15 points on the night.  Fifth-Year Forward Marty Jackson recorded 14 points from the floor while knocking down six of seven shots from the line.
 
SU's Jalen Blackmon led the Hatters' scoring attack with 20 points. 
 
The first half was a defensive slugfest on both sides, as the Lions limited Stetson to under 27% from the floor and under 19% from the arch.
 
Trailing by seven (32-25) in the second half, Saint Leo ignited its scoring offense, orchestrating a 21-point turnaround to hold its largest lead (51-37) of the contest at the 6:43 mark.  The Hatters worked their way back late in the contest, retaking the lead with a Blackmon 3-ptr. 52-51 before Junior Forward Jared Coomer responded with the go-ahead layup to put the Lions back up 53-52.  Blackmon would have the last say, however, making the game-winning jumper with 18 seconds remaining.  The Green & Gold had a few chances to score the winning bucket but the Hatters' defense held strong in front of its home crowd to preserve the 54-53 win.
 
While the score line was not ideal, Saint Leo came away from the game with positive pointers. 
 
"We battled and competed all night.  I loved our defensive effort holding a Division I team to 54 points and 35% from the floor" said Head Coach Lance Randall.  "Their length gave us some problems on the offensive end and typical of an early season game we were a little sloppy on execution.  Blackmon got rolling for them in a stretch and got them back in the game.  We had our chances, in the end they made 1 more play than us.  I loved how we defended and competed against a D1 team tonight. There is a lot to build on tonight."
 
The Lions look forward to its regular-season opener against the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville November 11th. 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo Men's Basketball, 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.