SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball closed out south region crossover play on Saturday night with a 79–68 loss to Clark Atlanta inside the Marion Bowman Center.

The Lions scored just 22 points while Clark Atlanta built a 41–22 advantage at the break. Despite the deficit, Saint Leo responded with a strong second half, outscoring the Panthers 46–38 and cutting the margin to as little as eight late in the period, but the early hole proved too much to overcome.

Sophomore Camden Cerese led Saint Leo with an impressive 25-point performance, shooting 9-for-16 from the field while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Sophomore Dominic Commisso delivered a dominant night in the paint, posting 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Donovan Hill added eight points and six boards, while senior Lenz Dupont provided a spark off the bench with seven points in 13 minutes.

As a team, the Lions shot 41 percent from the floor and held a 35–37 rebounding margin with the Panthers. Saint Leo also outscored Clark Atlanta 32–26 in the paint and 15–9 on the fast break. However, the Lions finished just 5-for-26 from three-point range.

Saint Leo returns to action next weekend on Saturday, November 22 as it travels to face Embry-Riddle in a conference bout, starting at 4 p.m.