HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team continued its defensive stand Friday night, holding a halftime lead over the #21 University of Alabama-Huntsville before the Chargers stormed back in the second half to overtake the Lions and prevail 65-57 at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall.
 
Saint Leo (0-1) was led by Sophomore Grant Disken, posting his second-career highest total in points (20), shooting 50% from the floor and 45% long range while recording four boards and two steals.  Fifth-Year Forward Marty Jackson was also 50% from the court, tallying 13 points on the night.
 
The Green and Gold had 58 shots from the field compared to the 52 from UAH (2-1), converting over 34% as a whole.
 
UAH's Luke Burnett (23 points) and Chaney Johnson (17 points) proved to be a challenge for Saint Leo, combining for nearly two-thirds of the Chargers' scoring.  Burnett finished the night shooting 70% from outside the arch.
 
Trailing 19-18 late in the first half, the Lions' defense kept the Chargers at bay, extending a 12-2 run over the final six and a half minutes to take a 30-21 lead into the locker room in what would be Saint Leo's largest lead of the contest.
 
UAH battled back in the second half to catch up to the Lions and retake the lead 43-40 at the 11:55 mark.  The Blue & White managed to push its lead as far as 10 points with 4:38 left before Saint Leo began to cut the lead back. 
 
A free throw from Junior Forward Jared Coomer put the Green & Gold to within four of UAH (61-57) at the 1:22 mark before UAH closed out the contest with free throws to come away with the eight-point win.
 
"We battled and scrapped against a very talented well coached Huntsville team" said Head Coach Lance Randall.  "Johnson came out in that second half and played like the All-American that he is.  Burnett hit some tough shots.  We lost him a couple times early and again late in that second half; those really hurt us.  We really struggled to establish our interior game. When we got the ball inside we were effective but Huntsville and some execution mistakes kept our interior play from being effective in that second half.  We couldn't seem to get to the line in that second half I'm not sure what changed but we just didn't get there and they did."
"Grant and Kanon shot the ball well but other than that we had nothing going from the perimeter."

"I loved our fight we were very Scrappy and at times good defensively but not enough against a top 25 team on their home court in their home opener."

The Lions will look to pick up its first win of the season Saturday as the team finishes the weekend with the University of Montevallo.  Tipoff at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall is set for 3 p.m. EST.

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.