SAINT LEO, Fla. ----- Junior Talib Ferrette drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining in the contest to lift the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team past Saint Leo, 78-77, Saturday evening at the Marion Bowman Center.
 
With the win, the Warhawks improved to 1-1 on the season, while the Lions dropped to 1-1.
 
The contest featured 14 ties and 13 lead changes. AUM held the largest advantage of the game, 33-24, late in the first half.
 
Ferrette finished with 12 points, hitting a pair of treys, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Senior Trent Coleman led AUM with 13 points, while Arion Lewis, Gilbert Croley and Malachi Rhodes contributed eight points apiece. Rhodes finished with a team-best nine rebounds. Ten different players played more than 10 minutes in the contest.
 
The Lions took an early 14-9 lead following a trey by Logan Ryan with 13:21 remaining in the first half. AUM led 27-24 with 7:20 left before the half, before scoring six straight, three on an old-fashioned scoring play and three more on a trey by Darrian Joseph, to extend its lead to 33-24 with 6:42 in the first half.
 
Despite the burst, Saint Leo rallied and tied the score at halftime, 42-42, following a layup with three seconds remaining by Shunta Wilson.
 
Trailing by one, 55-54, with 13:32 remaining took a 61-55 lead after a Coleman trey, but the Lions clawed back and tied the score at 67-67 after a pair of Wilson free throws with 6:01 remaining. Down the stretch, the teams were tied three times, with Saint Leo holding a two-point advantage in the final minute before Ferrette's game winner.
 
For the game, AUM converted 30-of-66 shots from the field, good for 45.5 percent. The Warhawks hit seven 3-points and finished 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.
 
Wilson led all players with a game-high 22 points for the Lions.
 
AUM will return to action on Wednesday, November 13, when they travel to Georgia College for a 6 p.m. tilt.