EVANSVILLE, IN.— The Lindenwood Lions saw their best Division I season end in heartbreaking fashion Thursday night, as the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks scored on a go-ahead jumper with three seconds remaining to defeat Lindenwood 68-66 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the Ford Center.
Braxton Stacker delivered the decisive basket, knocking down a mid-range jumper in the final seconds to cap a late 4-0 run by SEMO and eliminate the Lions from the tournament.
The loss ended Lindenwood’s season at 18-15 overall and 11-9 in the OVC, marking the program’s most wins and conference victories since transitioning to Division I four seasons ago.
“It was probably a typical March tournament game,” Lindenwood head coach Kyle Gerdeman said after the game. “Two really good teams. I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Korn and what he’s built there and the success that they’ve had. I enjoy competing against this team. You know you’re playing a good coach and a good program, and you tip your hat to them.”
Futrell leads strong first half
Lindenwood controlled much of the first half behind senior guard Anias Futrell, who scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. Futrell only played in 22 minutes in Lindenwood’s opening round win against Little Rock and had only four points but got going early.
Futrell connected on two 3-pointers and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line before halftime to pace the Lions. Lindenwood broke open an early tie with a 20-9 run after the score was even at eight with 15:13 remaining in the half. Futrell scored nine points during that stretch as the Lions built a 28-17 lead.
The Lions extended their advantage to as many as 13 points after a jumper from Dontrez Williams with 3:14 remaining in the half. SEMO responded with a 6-2 run to close the period, but Lindenwood still carried a 34-25 lead into halftime.
The Lions also dominated the glass early, outrebounding the Redhawks 26-19 in the first half and grabbing nine offensive rebounds. Williams collected seven rebounds before the break, while Jadis Jones helped lead the effort on the boards.
“I thought our guys played really well,” Gerdeman said. “We talked about being focused for 40 minutes and playing with maximum effort, and I really thought we did that.”
SEMO rallies after halftime
SEMO flipped the momentum early in the second half, opening with a 15-8 run to tie the game at 42 with 13:52 remaining.
From that point on, the teams traded baskets in a tightly contested battle that featured 11 ties and seven lead changes. The Redhawks briefly took their largest lead of the half, 51-47, with 10:09 remaining before Lindenwood answered.
Williams tied the game at 53 on a layup with just over eight minutes left, and Milos Nenadic later tied it again at 60 with a free throw with 4:20 to play.
With the game winding down, Williams came up with a critical defensive play, stealing the ball and racing the other way for a fast-break layup that gave Lindenwood a 66-64 lead with 1:24 remaining.
However, Stacker tied the game with two free throws with 39 seconds left before hitting the game-winning jumper with three seconds remaining.
Williams attempted a last-second 3-pointer, but the shot missed as time expired.
Balanced effort for the Lions
Futrell finished with 17 points to lead Lindenwood, while Jones added 14 points and six rebounds. Williams contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Nenadic added eight points and nine rebounds, while Clayton Jackson scored eight points off the bench.
Stacker led SEMO with 16 points, while Marqueas Bell added 14 and Luke Almodovar and Brendan Terry each scored 12.
Players reflect on emotional ending
Following the loss, Futrell said the overwhelming emotion was gratitude for his teammates and the experience.
“The first word that comes to mind is grateful,” Futrell said. “Grateful for my teammates, the coaches, Lindenwood University. I knew this moment was going to come, not like this obviously, but I’m just grateful.”
Jones said the Lions’ ability to overcome adversity throughout the year defined the team.
“We went through a lot of adversity this year that a lot of people don’t know about,” Jones said. “But I feel like we still handled it well. We had games where I was down, Anias was down, and a lot of other teammates stepped up and played big roles.”
Jones added that the bond within the locker room will remain the most meaningful memory.
“The group of guys this year was special,” he said. “I’ll probably look back on that more than anything else, more than the wins and the losses.”
A Historic Foundation Moving Forward
Although the season ended short of the semifinals, Gerdeman said the team set a new standard for the program during Lindenwood’s Division I era.
“It was a special, special team. A special locker room,” Gerdeman said. “If everybody could have been around it every day, they would have thought the same thing. They’re the best team in the history of our program, and they did things the right way every day.”
Gerdeman credited his veteran leaders for helping build the culture that led to the historic season.
“Their fingerprints are all over this program,” he said. “When we were at our worst, they were at their best.”
For the Lions, the narrow defeat was difficult to process, but the season’s accomplishments remain a milestone as the program continues building its identity at the Division I level.
