SAINT LEO, Fla. ----- Freshman
Darrion Taylor scored a career-high 22 points, leading four Auburn Montgomery players in double figures, as the men's basketball team defeated Saint Leo Friday 91-71 on the road.
NOTES
• The Warhawks improved to 3-9 with the victory.
• The Lions fell to 5-6 on the season.
• The 91 points are a season high for AUM.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Taylor finished 7-of-11 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from distance, and hit all four free throw attempts en route to the career best. He added four assists and three rebounds.
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Desmond DeRamus continued his strong play, scoring 21 points, grabbing seven rebounds, tallying five steals and four assists.
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Romoane Eager came off the bench and scored 20 points and pulled down six rebounds.
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Julius McCoy finished with 13 points and six assists.
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Lafayette James-Core scored seven points and had six rebounds in 17 minutes.
• Saint Leo's Justin Satchell led all players with 24 points and eight rebounds.
• Junior Searcy also scored in double figures for the Lions, finishing with 13 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Despite DeRamus scoring the first basket of the game, the Warhawks trailed early after the Lions opened the contest with a 16-8 run during the first 6:42.
• Treys by McCoy and James-Core fueled a 10-2 run by the Warhawks, as they tied the score at 18-18 on a McCoy 3-pointer with 9:20 remaining in the first half.
• The two sides exchanged spurts, Saint Leo scoring seven in a row following the McCoy triple and AUM answering with 10 straight in large part to a pair of 3-pointers by Eager.
• Tied at 28-28 with 5:30 remaining, the Warhawks pulled ahead with five straight behind another Eager trey and looked to head to the locker room with an eight-point advantage. However, Satchell's 3-pointer as time expired provided the Warhawks with a 42-37 halftime lead.
• The Lions opened the second half with a 10-1 run and took a 47-43 advantage following a Satchell trey with 15:57 remaining in the contest.
• AUM battled back and took the lead for good on a McCoy jumper with 14:49 left, which started a 12-2 run by the Warhawks. Four 3-pointers, two by McCoy and one each by DeRamus and Taylor, fueled the spurt.
• The Lions clawed back into the contest and pulled within one point, 60-59 with 9:26 remaining, following a 10-0 run.
• The Warhawks again relied on the 3-pointer, putting together a 13-2 run capped by an Eager three with 5:57 remaining. Taylor also hit a pair of treys during the stretch.
• Saint Leo trimmed the deficit to as few as nine points, 75-66, after a Satchell 3-pointer with 5:17 remaining, but the Warhawks countered with six straight and extended the lead to 15 points, 81-66, following a McCoy layup with 3:21 left.
• The Lions cut the margin to 12 points, 83-71, with 1:18 remaining, but the Warhawks hit 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch and held Saint Leo scoreless to provide the final margin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• AUM converted 50 percent of its shots for the contest, including a blazing 13-of-22 from behind the arc. The Warhawks also hit 14-of-18 free throw attempts.
• The Lions converted 44.1 percent of their shots, hitting 8-of-23 from distance. Saint Leo converted 11-of-14 shots from the charity stripe.
• The Warhawks held a 38-34 advantage on the glass, including a 14-12 edge on the offensive boards. AUM converted 15 second-chance points, while limited Saint Leo to just nine.
• AUM converted 33 points off 19 Saint Leo turnovers, while committing just 12 miscues of its own. The Lions managed just 15 points off turnovers.
• Saint Leo held a 36-26 advantage in the paint.
• AUM held a commanding 45-31 edge in scoring off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks conclude their Florida road trip with a 6 p.m. contest Saturday at Florida Southern.
