The No. 14 Lindenwood men's basketball team picked up a key early season conference victory on Thursday night with a 67-50 road victory over Evangel. The game was the first matchup this season between the top two teams in the preseason conference poll.

Evangel came into the game averaging 77.1 points a contest but the Lions defense frustrated the Crusaders for the majority of the game. Evangel shot just 35.6 percent from the field, including 15.4 percent from three-point range. The Crusaders were even cold from the free throw line, making just six of 21.

Evangel's top player, Spud Harbour, came into the game averaging nearly 21 points and ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA in scoring. Alex Bazzell helped the Lions limit Harbour to just eight points on four of 11 shooting.

Lindenwood shot 45.7 percent for the game, including 55 percent in the second half. The Lions also pulled away in the final 20 minutes by hitting 17 of 21 free throws.

Lindenwood used a 12-2 run early to jump out to a 14-4 lead. However, the Lions scored just 11 points in the final 14 minutes of the half which allowed the Crusaders to get back in the game. Evangel took the lead for its first and only time at 23-22, but a three-pointer by Efkan Eren gave the Lions a 25-23 halftime lead.

In the second half, a technical foul by Evangel was the turning point of the game. Lindenwood led by five at the time of the technical and it sparked a 24-7 Lion run that opened up a 58-36 lead. The Crusaders made just two field goals in that span which last for over nine minutes. Evangel did not hit the 40 point mark until less than three minutes remained in the contest and a late rally kept Lindenwood from holding the Crusaders under 50 points.

Eren gave Lindenwood a huge spark off the bench, scoring a season-high 10 points and making four of five from the field. Richard Rose led the team with 17 points, including knocking down four of five three-pointers. Kramer Soderberg chipped in with 14 points and made nine of nine from the free throw line. Brett Thompson had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds. Thompson, Soderberg, and Rose all had team-highs with three assists.

Lindenwood won its seventh straight game with the victory and improves to 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in HAAC play. The Lions begin a three-game Chicago trip next Tuesday against East-West.