The Lindenwood Lady Lions basketball team resumed HAAC Conference play with a road trip to Marshal, Missouri to take on the Missouri Valley Vikings. The game saw numerous lead changes and six ties but the Vikings would hold the lead at the final buzzer to win, 71-69.
Missouri Valley jumped out to a six point lead with just over nine minutes to play in the first half after Chelsea Quiring made a pair of free throws. After the Vikings took their biggest lead of the first half, the Lady Lions answered with a 6-0 run capped off by an Abby Schultenhenrich field goal to tie the score.
The game would go back-and-forth until the two minute mark when the Lady Lions would go on another 6-0 run to take a one point lead into the locker room.
The second half began with a 10-0 run by the home team to take the lead and extend it all the way out to nine, which was the largest of the game. Slowly Lindenwood would chop away at the lead and finally tied the game again at 46 with 11:12 to play in the game.
After the Lady Lions tied the score the defense came up with a stop and turned it into a lead after Cassie Williams connected on a jumper. But the Lady Lion lead would be the final time they would hold the scoring edge.
Missouri Valley would regain the lead and extend it to eight with just over a minute to play. Even though the Vikings held a large lead in the final minute the Lady Lions did not give up. With just over 21 seconds to go in the game Williams would connect on a pair of free throws to cut the lead to two.
That would be as close as Lindenwood would get as Missouri Valley forced a turnover when the Lady Lions had the ball and a chance to tie or win the game.
Leading the way for the Lady Lions was Christina Edwards who once again recorded a double-double, with a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Edwards has played in three games the season and has recorded a double-double in each game.
Scultenhenrich pitched in with 14 points connecting on 4-of-6, 3 pointers and also adding a career-high five steals. Williams would also compile a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Lions were 5-of-11 from behind the arc and went to the free throw line 38 times. In the first half Lindenwood made 80 percent of their free throws but only connected on 50 percent of their second half chances from the charity stripe.
With the loss the Lady Lions fell to 3-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Lindenwood will not have long to think about the loss as they will be right back at it on Saturday night when they return home to take on Graceland.
