HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball held off a late comeback from the University of Montevallo to prevail in a 93-84 win Saturday afternoon at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall.
 
Five Lions (1-1) posted double-digit marks in scoring, with Redshirt Senior Guard Kanon Koster leading the way with 16 points from shooting nearly 43% from the field.  Sophomore Grant Disken notched 15 points, going 4-for-8 from the field.
 
Freshman Guard Trey Lane's 14 points included a 4-for-7 night from the floor, including 3-for-6 from long range.
 
Saint Leo shot over 52% from the field and 33% from beyond the perimeter.  While the Green & Gold allowed Montevallo (1-1) to shoot 43% from the court, the perimeter defense limited the Falcons to under 27% on the day.
 
The Lions took its first lead (10-9) at the 16:43 mark, when Freshman Guard Owen Pawlikowski converted an And1 and knocking down the extra free throw that helped spark a 20-6 run in the first half to give the Green & Gold a 27-15 lead.
 
A layup from Koster late in the first half gave the Lions its largest lead of the half at 13 (40-27) with 3:14 remaining before the Falcons would finish Half One trimming the Lions' lead to eight (43-35) at intermission.
 
Saint Leo's scoring attack did not stop in the second half, pushing out to a 20-point lead (81-61) with just over seven minutes remaining that was topped off by a five-point string from Sophomore Grant Disken.
 
Even with the Lions' largest lead of the contest, the Falcons refused to go down quietly, scoring 11, unanswered points to bring the deficit back down to single digits (81-72) with 4:48 left.  Nearly three and a half minutes later, Falcons' leading scorer Braxton Bertolette, who finished with 20 points in the game, trimmed the Lion lead to five (85-80) before the Green & Gold posted seven, straight points that ultimately iced the team's first win of 2022-23 with a 93-84 score line.
 
"Our office of execution was much improved; it really was a great team effort" said Head Coach Lance Randall.  "Grant was very good all weekend.  Our bench gave us a great lift in the first half and I thought our starting five was dominant in the second.  Our ball movement and selflessness were evident with the 20 assists.  They got the line way too much but other than that overall a pretty good performance on a short turnaround."
Saint Leo returns home for its season home opener Tuesday against Johnson University, as tipoff against the Suns is slated for 7 p.m.
 
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.