Lions Comeback Effort Ends in Backcourt

SAINT LEO, FLA. –Fans were hoping to see some magic at the Bowman Center Saturday night, but for the second straight game, Saint Leo fell short as Barry narrowly escaped with a 87-85 victory. After trailing by 21 points at one point in the game, the Lions (6-4, 2-3) made a furious comeback attempt led by freshman Lawrence Watt, who recorded his first double-double in his NCAA career with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

There were two big highlights that saved Barry (7-2, 2-1) from dropping to 1-2 in conference play. The first occurred in the last seconds of the first half, in which an Undra Mitchem 3-pointer gave the Buccaneers a double-digit lead heading into the half. The second came off of a smart decision by Junior Arie Williams. Up by two, as Barry lost control of a bouncing basketball heading out of bounds, Williams grabbed the ball, but before his feet went out of bounds, he threw the ball towards the Lions’ backcourt, rather than get it off to a teammate to prevent a chance of it being intercepted by the defense with about 4.5 seconds left. The Lions did not have enough time to retrieve and get a valid shot off, solidifying the road win for the Bucs.

The Lions once again have an opportunity to make a case in regional rankings when they host Benedict on Tuesday at 7pm. This is now a must win non-conference game, as another loss will seriously hurt the Lions’ hopes early in returning to the NCAA Tournament.