For the third consecutive time, Lindenwood’s basketball teams both dropped their doubleheader games, this time against UT Martin.
The women’s team dropped their game to the Skyhawks by a score of 65-56, and the men’s team followed up with a loss of 106-82. The doubleheader acted as the team’s penultimate home game of the 2023-24 season.
In the first period of the women’s game, Lindenwood was outscored 21-16. Despite this, the team started with a lead, as Justis Odom made two consecutive successful free throws, and followed that up with a layup for four early points. Mykayla Cunningham also added four points in the period, as did Alyssa Nielsen. Ellie Brueggemann landed a three-pointer halfway through the period, and Mya Skoff completed the Lindenwood scoring in the opening period with a successful free throw.
Lindenwood’s second period saw an increase in points, as the team headed into the halftime break with the lead, up 33-32. Lindenwood scored 17 points and only allowed 11. Odom once again kicked off the scoring for the Lions in the period, landing a two-point jumper. Odom totaled four points in the period. However, it was Brueggeman who led the way in scoring in the period, with five points, including another three-pointer. Nielsen also added four points in the period, with Kaylen Evans and Stevi Lockhart each scoring two.
To open the second half of play, the Lions were outscored 20-11 in the third period. Makayla Wallace kicked off the scoring for Lindenwood with a layup, quickly followed by a jump shot by Odom, who would also add two more points later in the period on two free throws. Lockhart drained a three-pointer, the only one Lindenwood had in the period, and Cunningham put up two points of her own on a fastbreak layup.
In the final period of play, the Lions put up 12 more points, to UT Martin’s 13. Highlighted in that were the final six points of the game for Lindenwood, as Skoff made two consecutive three-pointers in the last minute of play. Wallace, Brueggeman, and Odom each put up two points in the period as well.
At the end of play, Odom led the scoring for Lindenwood with 14 points, with Brueggeman also putting up double digits with 10. In terms of rebounds, Skoff, Odom, and Brueggeman each put up three to tie for the team lead.
As for the men’s game, despite the loss, the team saw five different players put up double-digit scoring numbers. Keenon Cole scored 17 to lead the team, and Darius Beane was close behind with 13 of his own. Jeremiah Talton put up 12 points, Colin Ruffin had 11, and Jaylon McDaniel scored 10 in the loss. Tommie Williams and Nathan Johnson Jr. were close to joining the group, with eight points each.
Despite the 25-point loss, Lindenwood kept close in the first half, only trailing 47-40 at the end of the half, and starting the game with a 9-4 lead. Cole came out of the gate with five points in the first two minutes of play. Williams added Lindenwood’s first three-pointer of the game shortly after, with Cole following up and doing the same 30 seconds later, the first of two for Cole. Johnson scored two with some style points in the first half, making the only dunk of the first half for Lindenwood.
In the second half of play, McDaniel came out of the locker room strong, scoring six of the team’s first eight points of the half, with Beane notching the other two. The six-foot-seven junior also landed the only other dunk of the game for the Lions in the second half. Also in the half, Keith Haymon II, who wasn’t among those who scored in the first half, drained a successful three-point shot, making his only score of the game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Talton led the team in rebounds by the end of the game, with five. Both Beane and Ruffin had four of their own in the effort.
The losses move the men’s team to 8-20 on the season, and the women’s team to a 6-19 record.
Both teams return home for the final time this season on Saturday, Feb. 24, to take on Little Rock. Tipoff for the women’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at 3:30 p.m. Both teams then head out on the road to the University of Southern Indiana and Morehead State University to complete their seasons.
