ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team and Eckerd College went toe-to-toe in a contest that went into overtime, but costly turnovers by the Green & Gold, coupled with EC's 13 steals on the night, would become the Lions' downfall in the end as the Tritons pulled away with an 89-84 win Saturday night at the McArthur Center.
 
On a day where the Lions (6-4, 2-2 SSC) saw two score 20+ points, it was not enough to stay atop Eckerd (4-3, 2-2 SSC).  Saint Leo took 57 shots from the field, as the Tritons shot the ball 67 times.  The Lions grabbed only 30 boards while allowing 47 rebounds and turning the ball over 16 times.
 
The Green & Gold drilled 52.6% of its shots from beyond the perimeter, the second-highest mark on the season, while finishing the contest hitting just over 49% from the floor.
 
Fifth-Year forward Marty Jackson matched his season-high in points, recording 24 points with eight boards and went 8-for-15 from the field.  Sophomore guard Grant Disken also matched his season-high with 20 points that included a 7-for-12 performance and 80% rate from long range before fouling out near the end of regulation.  Guard Kanon Koster recorded 19 points, shooting 40% from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
 
Quotes from Head Coach Lance Randall
"It was great battle as it always is down here; I thought that we did some good things offensively.  Defensively, we were doing well in the first half.  When Marty went out we got busted in the face and he was out for a handful of minutes; it stopped our momentum I thought there.  We had jumped out to a good lead and they inched their way back into it."
 
"We found the basket on the offensive side. But during that second half, we let Eckerd get to the rim too often, let them get on the glass and put them on the line.  And ultimately that last three {in overtime}, I don't know what happened, but Mekhi {Perry} got loose on us and was wide open and I'm not even sure how it happened."
 
"Difficult way to lose Grant at the end of regulation too with the three, free-throws.  I wasn't sure what that was exactly to be honest; I thought he defended that really well up three with thirty seconds left, and his fifth foul to put {Dante Bouchard} on the line to tie the game, that was a tough one."
 
"Ultimately, we turned the ball over too much and we have to do a better job rebounding without Cantia Rahming."
 
The Lions will regroup this week and will look to get back on the winning track as Saint Leo takes a trip to Puerto Rico to face a pair of teams from the University of Puerto Rico system, beginning with Arecibo Thursday.  Tipoff is scheduled for 4 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.