Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo University Men's basketball team opened their season hosting the South Region Crossover, falling to Auburn Montgomery in a highly contested matchup 74-77. The Saint Leo Men's program also kicked off opening matchup with Lake Jovita Night packing the stands with excited fans.
 
Despite the loss, The Green & Gold outshot the Warhawks, hitting over 54% from the field. Graduate Guard Kanon Koster led the Lions in scoring, shooting 3-for-7, including 1-for-3 from long range and an impressive 11-for-13 performance from the charity stripe to tally 18 points on the night.  Senior Guard Grant Disken and Junior Forward Joseph Locandro each recorded 13 points from the floor.
 
AUM's Jalil Robinson led the Warhawks scoring attack with 22 points. 
 
The first half was a defensive battle on both sides, as the Lions limited the Warhawks to only 11% from the arch.
 
The Lions struggled from behind the arch on the evening shooting 23% and 75% from the free throw line. The Lions will improve in these areas as the season goes on. It was the first matchup of the season for each these physical teams.

Head Coach Lance Randall - "Tonight, Auburn Montgomery was the much tougher team. It was a typical first game in that Both teams were fragmented offensively. It is very difficult to win Games if you turn the ball over twenty-three times. We left some points on the board with missed free throws including 1 and 1's and gave them some easy ones with blown coverages."
 
"I was confused by several calls and no calls in that second half. Not really sure what happened on some key plays. They ended up on the free throw line way too many times. I liked our resiliency down the stretch. We clawed our way back in and gave ourselves a chance. We have to bounce back and be better tomorrow." 
 
Sophomore Forward Marshawn Robinson was impressive in this matchup with hustle plays and timely putbacks for The Green and Gold. He finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds.
 
The Lions had a chance in the last 20 seconds to tie the game up with a three, but rimmed out as they ended up falling in this tight contest and Coach Randall had some thoughts after the game tonight.

The Lions look forward to their second of a back-to-back as they take on the Tigers of Savannah State University November 11th. Tipoff is slated to begin at 2:30 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.