GREENWOOD, S.C. – In a back-and-forth battle that came down to the end, the Saint Leo acrobatics and tumbling team lost 253.640 to 247.985 at Lander on Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats took an early and slight lead after the compulsory events with a 35.70 – 34.95 margin. The Lions were able to win the acro heat of the category with a score of 8.35 to 8.20.

In the acro event, Saint Leo edged Lander in the seven-element routine as it notched a 9.00 compared to Lander's 8.95. Heading into the pyramid event, the Bearcats held a 63.15 – 60.85 advantage.

The Green and Gold won the third heat of the pyramid event with a slim 9.75 to 9.70 difference, however, it dropped the first two heats as Lander led by 92.00 – 89.30 going into the toss event.
In the three heats of the toss category, the Lions kept it close but lost the three heats by a combined .85 points. With both teams heading into the tumbling event, the Bearcats were leading 118.80 to 115.25.

Saint Leo tallied wins in the trio pass, aerial pass, and open pass of the tumbling event to win the overall category by a 50.275 – 48.250 margin, however, Lander still held a 167.050 to 165.525 edge.

In the final event, the team category, the Bearcats registered a score of 86.59 while the Lions posted a mark of 82.46 as Lander won 253.640 to 247.985.

The Lions return to the mats on Monday, March 25 as they host Wingate at 6 p.m.