SAINT LEO, Fla. – Barry let a double-digit lead slip in the second half, and Saint Leo capitalized on second chance opportunities to win, 63-51, Wednesday night at the Bowman Center.
Barry went in a scoring drought over the last 14:31, and the Buccaneers were outscored, 38-17, in the second half.
Bryan Van Cott scored on a layup three minutes into the second half to give Barry an eight-point lead. Justin McCoy’s basket with 14:31 on the clock pushed the Bucs out to a 44-33 lead. Shaun Adams tipped in an offensive board 2:29 later to pull the Lions within four.
Saint Leo took the lead on Regis Schafer’s triple as part of a 17-0 Lions’ run. Saint Leo outscored Barry 25-10 over the first 11:04 of the second half. McCoy hit a free throw and then hit a shot off-glass as the Buccaneers closed within, 52-47.
Saint Leo’s Trent Thomas hit a shot falling away as the shot clock expired with 4:00 left to build a 12-point Lions lead.
Barry was outscored, 19-4, in second chance points. Saint Leo grabbed 15 more rebounds than the Bucs, who shot 19 of 50 from the field. The Buccaneers hit just one of 11 triple tries in the second half, and finished seven of 25 from beyond the arc.
Evan White scored 24 points on eight of 12 shooting. He was five of eight from beyond the three-point line. White also had seven rebounds.
Barry raced to a 12-2 lead but Saint Leo responded by going on an 11-0 run to take the lead. The Buccaneers hit six first half triples to regain control, taking a nine-point lead into halftime.
White scored 18 points in the first half, going six of eight from the floor, including four of six from beyond the arc. He was the only player in double figures in the first half.
The Bucs hit 12 of 28 field goals (42.9 percent) in the first half. Saint Leo shot 8 for 30 (26.7). The Lions outrebounded Barry in the first half, 20-19, grabbing eight offensive boards to the Bucs’ five.
Thomas had 15 points, Schafer 12 and Tom Neary and Dominick Robinson each had 10 for the Lions, which shot 55.6 percent in the second half, going five for 10 from three-point land.
Van Cott had seven boards. Derrick Bolanos scored seven points.
Barry hosts Nova Southeastern at 4 p.m. Saturday in Miami Shores.