SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team continued its winning momentum into Saturday evening, as a second-half scoring push fueled an 82-70 win over Palm Beach Atlantic at the Marion Bowman Activities Center.
 
The Lions (5-3, 2-1 SSC) finished the contest shooting nearly 60%, with over 38% of shots hit from beyond the arch.  The Green & Gold benefitted from foul trouble by Palm Beach Atlantic (3-2, 1-2 SSC), shooting from the charity stripe 32 times and knocking down 21 shots.
 
For the second, straight game, Saint Leo boasted five players in double-digits, with Fifth-Year Forward Marty Jackson leading all scorers with 18 points, highlighted by an 80% shooting performance from the field.  Freshman Guard Owen Pawlikowski topped his performance from Embry-Riddle (Fla.), shooting 5-for-6 from the floor to post 14 total points.  Sophomore Forward Cantia Rahming also tallied 14 points on the night, shooting over 71% while grabbing nine boards.
 
While the first half mostly saw the Green & Gold in front, Saint Leo's lead was only as large as nine, as Palm Beach Atlantic would respond with buckets before the Lions had a chance to produce a scoring run.  After the Green & Gold went up by nine points (32-23), the Sailfish made up ground, producing an 8-1 run to cut the difference to one possession (33-31) before the Lions closed out the half with two baskets to take a 37-31 lead into the half.
 
Saint Leo had a monster second half, shooting an outstanding 81% (17-of-21) from the floor and 50% from outside the perimeter.  After a PBA jumper cut the Lions' lead to six (62-56), the Green & Gold came out of the under-eight media timeout with its best run of the night in a 13-3 scoring run that spanned over approximately three minutes that gave Saint Leo its largest lead of the night, 75-59, with 5:11 remaining.
 
The run gave the Lions the cushion room needed to solidify the win and keep the margin in double-digits with an 82-70 score line.
 
Saint Leo remains at home Tuesday to face NAIA Sun Conference member Keiser University in Fritz's return.  Tipoff at the Marion Bowman Activities Center is scheduled for 7:30 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.