LAKELAND, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball team fell short in a 110-108 double overtime instant classic at Florida Southern in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) matchup on Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Lions move to 9-14 overall with a 4-11 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Mocs improve to 18-7 with a 12-4 record in conference play.

In the first overtime period, Florida Southern jumped out to an 89-84 advantage with less than two minutes remaining. Later, a pair of free throws from the Mocs gave them a 91-88 lead with four seconds remaining in the overtime period. As time expired, graduate student Kanon Koster connected on a three-point attempt to send the game into a second overtime period.

At the 3:52-mark of the second overtime, Saint Leo held a 96-93 advantage after a layup from Logan Ryan. However, Florida Southern regained the lead at 103-99 following a quick 10-3 run with 1:20 left on the clock. Koster brought the Lions within one point as he connected on three free throws, 103-102. The Mocs once again obtained a four-point lead at 106-102 with 43 seconds remaining before Saint Leo battled back to cut its deficit to 106-105. With 20 seconds left, Koster came up clutch with three-pointer and tied the game at 108. In the closing seconds, Florida Southern converted two free throws and claimed a 110-108 edge.

In the opening three minutes of the second half, the Mocs conducted a 10-2 run as they extended their lead to 51-41. Saint Leo mounted a comeback as it scored 14 of the next 18 points with Koster accounting for 10 points, tying the game at 55. Both teams continued the scoring affair as Florida Southern held a slight 68-67 edge with 6:44 remaining in regulation. Over the next four minutes, the Mocs stretched their lead to 82-76. The Lions then grasped momentum with six unanswered points. All six points came from beyond the arc, tying the game 82-82 at the end of regulation.

A long range connection from junior Joseph Locandro tied the game at 9-9 in the early minutes of the first half. However, the Mocs went on a 7-0 run to gain a 16-9 advantage at the 15:19-mark. Florida Southern extended its advantage to 24-13 after scoring eight of the next 12 points. At the 4:16-mark, the Lions cut their deficit back to single digits following a fastbreak layup from senior Grant Disken, 33-25. Saint Leo pulled within five points after sophomore Ryan laced a three-point attempt to make the score 39-34 with 1:29 remaining in the half. In the last 40 seconds of the first half, Ryan accounted for five points, first a mid-range jumper followed by a three-pointer as the Lions only trailed 41-39 at halftime.

All five Saint Leo starters scored in double figures, led by Koster, who tallied a season- and team-best 34 points while going 11-for-22 from the field in addition to connecting on six shots from beyond the arc and making all six free throw attempts. Koster also dished out five assists. Ryan notched 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four three-pointers and two rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals. Locandro registered 15 points and grabbed four boards. Disken scored 13 points and dished out six assists while senior Cantia Rahming recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lions shot 50.6 percent (40-of-79) from the field and went 15-for-30 from beyond the arc while converting 76.5 percent (13-for-17) from the charity stripe. The Mocs held a 48-33 edge on the glass.

Saint Leo returns to action as it hosts Embry-Riddle on Saturday, February 17 in an SSC bout with tip-off set for 6 p.m. at the Marion Bowman Activities Center.