Richard Rose became just the fourth Lindenwood men's basketball player to surpass 1,500 career points on Thursday night in a road win over Missouri Valley. Four of Rose's points came in overtime to lead the Lions to a 75-71 victory.

The largest lead of the night by either team came early on when Missouri Valley jumped out to a 10-1 advantage. That started a first half that saw several large runs by both teams, and at halftime Lindenwood led 31-27.

The Lions held on to that lead for much of the second half but they could never pull away. The Vikings finally pulled ahead after back-to-back three-pointers with under seven minutes remaining. Lindenwood retook the lead two times late in regulation, but each time Missouri Valley answered with a three-pointer, the last which put the Vikings up 66-64. Kramer Soderberg tied the game with a field goal, and both teams missed opportunities in the final minute.

In overtime, Lindenwood scored the first four points and never trailed. Rose put the Lions ahead for good and Soderberg added two free throws to put the team up 70-66. Missouri Valley hit its final three-pointer of the night to get within one and it got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Rose made the play of the game then, recording a steal and making a field goal with 1:44 remaining. Alex Bazzell closed the game out by making three of four free throw attempts.

Lindenwood won the game at the free throw line where it made 21 of 28 shots, compared to just three of six for Missouri Valley. The Lions had five more turnovers, but shot better with a 51.1 field goal percentage, compared to 46.0 percent for Missouri Valley.

Rose, who came into the game with 1,496 career points, finished with a team-high 18 points. He made four three-pointers, including a key one late in regulation.

Even with Rose's big night, it was the forwards that led the offense. David King had 14 points and made all six of his field goal attempts. Brett Thompson and Garrett Reeg each had eight points, and that trio shot 83.3 percent from the field. 

Soderberg finished with 12 points, including a perfect game at the free throw line. King was the team's rebounding leader with seven boards, and Soderberg paced the Lions with three assists.

Lindenwood improves to 22-3 overall and 13-2 in conference play. The Lions received some more good news with Benedictine upsetting William Jewell, giving Lindenwood a 1.5 game lead in the HAAC standings.