SCOTT MANDZIARA | Reporter
The Lindenwood Lions (11-5) men’s basketball team fell to the Missouri Southern Lions (10-6) 89-79 on Thursday night in Hyland Arena after scoring a season-high 59 second half points.
Lindenwood’s offense got off to a slow start allowing Missouri Southern to jump out to a 20-5 lead in the first half. Missouri Southern’s lead got as big as 20 when it was 29-9 with 5:53 to go in the first half, according to Lindenwood Athletics. Missouri Southern led 36-20 at the half.
“We weren’t really moving offensively,” junior guard Jackson Price said. “We were doing a lot of one-on-one stuff and not a lot of team ball.”
Lindenwood’s 20 first-half points was the fewest points scored in a half this season. They shot 32.1 percent from the field as well and in the Randall era, Lindenwood is 1-11 when scoring fewer than 60 points. There was also just three total free throws shot in the first half, all of them by Missouri Southern.
Price had 29 points against Northeastern State, 28 points against UCO in the previous two games of the season and was held scoreless in the first half.
Earlier this season, Lindenwood fell to Missouri Southern in Joplin 97-71.
The second half started with a 14-6 Lindenwood run to cut it to a 8 point game, 42-34 with 14:47 to play.
The scoring wouldn’t stop for either team as both teams passed their first half totals with over 7:30 to play in the game.
Lindenwood’s offensive charge in the second half was led by junior guard Brad Newman who finished the game with a team-high of 22 points, as well as Price who scored 20 points in the second half, matching the team’s total from the first half.
“Being confident,” Price said. “Don’t be scared of anything, and my teammates did a great job at giving me the ball.”
Lindenwood cut it all the way to three points with 4:17 to play, 69-66. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, but Lindenwood couldn’t come any closer than three. Missouri Southern shot 24-29 from the free-throw line in the second half, and there was 34 personal fouls between the two teams in the second half.
Junior forward Dominique Dobbs also scored a season-high in the MIAA on Thursday night with 14 points.
Lindenwood had four players finish in double figures: Newman, Price, Dobbs and Chandler Diekvoss.
Coming up next for the Lions, they will face the top-scoring offense in the MIAA, Pittsburg State (9-7), at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 in Hyland Arena.
