SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball team took No.18 Florida Southern to the wire in an overtime Sunshine State Conference (SSC) classic matchup on Wednesday night.

Despite being behind by a 49-35 at halftime, the Lions outscored the Mocs 46-32 in the second halftime to help send the game into overtime. With less than 3:30 left in regulation, senior guard Owen Pawlikowski connected on a pair of free throws that gave Saint Leo its first lead since the 19:24-mark of the first half. However, the Mocs laced two free throws that tied the game at 81.

At the 1:22-mark of overtime, Florida Southern built a seven-point lead at 94-87 and held on for the remainder of the period.

The Lions were led by senior Donovan Hill, who tallied 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and buried seven three-pointers in addition to grabbing eight boards, two steals, and one assist. Pawlikowski recorded 21 points with four three-pointers along with five assists and four boards. Sophomore Camden Cerese registered 17 points, five rebounds, and dished out five assists. Junior Luther Smith Jr. posted 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block. Senior Lenz Dupont notched 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.  

Saint Leo returns to action on Saturday, December 6 as it travels to face Florida tech in an SSC bout, starting at 4 p.m.