SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's basketball team lost at home in its first game of the 2026 calendar year with a 77-62 outcome against Lynn in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Saturday evening.

In the opening five minutes, the Lions built an 11-7 advantage following a three-pointer by junior Luther Smith Jr. until the Fighting Knight executed an 8-0 run to take a 15-11 edge with 14:27 left in the first frame. Lynn mounted a 32-22 lead with less than five minutes to play in the first half after two made free throw attempts. Right before halftime, Smith Jr. gave Saint Leo momentum as he drew a shooting foul behind the arc and converted all three attempts to cut the deficit to 35-33.

As the second half started, the Fighting Knights scored 12 consecutive points to grasp a 47-33 advantage with 16:08 left in the game. A layup from sophomore Dominic Commisso ignited an 11-0 run for the Lions as they drew within three points (47-44). However, Lynn responded with 14 of the 16 points to lead 61-49 at the 6:34-mark and maintained its lead for the remainder of the game.

The Lions were led by Smith Jr., who scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field in addition to grabbing three rebounds and two steals. Senior Matt Ansah notched 12 points with six assists, three boards, two steals, and one block. Senior Donovan Hill tallied nine points, with seven boards, two steals, and two assists while classmate Owen Pawlikowski posted nine points, eight rebounds, and two assists.

The Lions return to action on Wednesday, January 7 as they travel to face Tampa in a conference bout, starting at 7:30 p.m.