WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team battled back from a double-digit deficit at the half, but the three-point matchup proved to be the ultimate difference, as Palm Beach Atlantic's nine made baskets from long range fueled a 75-70 upset win over the Green & Gold Saturday evening at Rubin Arena.
 
Saint Leo (15-8, 7-6 SSC) struggled from beyond the perimeter, hitting just 27% on the day while Palm Beach Atlantic (10-9, 6-7 SSC) shot nearly 40%.  The Lions were unable to overcome the PBA triplets in Will Lee, Jakob Hester, and Jalen Cooper, who accounted for 59 of the Sailfish's 75 points.
 
Nevertheless, the Lions still outshot PBA overall, hitting 46.6% from the field compared to the Sailfish's 44.3%.  Fifth-year forward Marty Jackson recorded a season-high 27 points, shooting 10-for-17 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.  Despite being 0-for-6 from long range, guard Kanon Koster was 7-of-9 inside the arch, finishing with 16 points and six boards.
 
The Sailfish began to build its lead midway through the first half, going up by as many as 14 before heading to the locker room with a 43-33 lead.
 
After a Sailfish made free-throw extended the lead 49-37 with 17:29 left in the game, Saint Leo came responded with 12 unanswered points in a five-minute span to tie the game 49 apiece.
 
With the contest tied 68-68, PBA nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:21 left.  The Lions attempted to keep up, but a missed one-and-one and a missed three-pointer on consecutive offensive positions helped the Sailfish solidify a 75-70 win.
 
"We were very disjointed in the first half; didn't establish any rhythm offensively and really struggled getting stops" said Head Coach Lance Randall.  "Second half we did a great job of finding the rim.  We were much better defensively.  However, when we made mistakes, they made us pay with some easy buckets or second chance points.  We missed five free throws in that second half and went over from the three-point line; that's a tough 20 minutes when you need a lot of things to go your way when you spot a team 10 points in the first half.  Despite that, we battled and I appreciate that about this team.  We got the lead back up to two possessions but couldn't hold it."
 
Saint Leo returns home to face Paine College Tuesday for a non-conference tilt.  Tipoff at the Marion Bowman Activities Center is set for 7 p.m.
 
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