The No. 6 Lindenwood men's basketball team let Evangel hang around for too long on Thursday night and the Crusaders took advantage by upsetting the Lions 70-67.

The early part of the game was all Lindenwood as it jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but Evangel was able to even the score by midway through the first-half. A 7-0 run put the Lions up 31-24 with six minutes remaining in the first but Evangel was able to cut into that and the Lions only led 37-33 at halftime.

In the second-half, Lindenwood led by as much as eight, but cold shooting in the period kept the Crusaders in the game. Evangel did not take its first lead in the game until the eight minute mark, and a 5-0 run helped the team build a 68-61 lead with three minutes remaining.

The Lions did get within three on back-to-back buckets by Toriano Adams and Brett Thompson, and had a chance to tie in the final seconds. The Lions missed a three-point attempt, although Adams cleaned it up with a rebound and put back to make the score 68-67 with three seconds remaining. On the inbounds play, Evangel found a player behind the defense and he was able to run the clock out before making a layup at the buzzer.

The shooting statistics were fairly even, with both teams making 26 field goals and Evangel having just two more three-pointers and one extra free throw. Evangel shot 41.9 percent compared to 40.0 percent for the Lions. In the second-half, the Crusaders shot 46.7 percent from the field and made three-of-eight three-pointers, while Lindenwood only shot 34.4 percent and made one-of-eight from beyond the arc.

Adams had 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Richard Rose was in double-figure scoring with 14 points. In his Lindenwood debut, Thompson had nine points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Joey Parker finished with eight points and a team-high three assists.

Lindenwood will be out of action until 2010 when it competes in the Tabor Classic on Jan. 1-2.