Starting with sophomore guard Jenny Rocha's jump shot with 6 minutes 41 seconds left in the exhibition at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, the Lady Lions stemmed a Salukis comeback attempt in Saturday's 70-55 win.

"There are going to be runs in the second half and when (SIU-C) made their run we got in a hurry," Lindenwood coach Tony Francis said. "We called a timeout and said, 'let's get back to being aggressive and attacking the rim.' We went back to being aggressive and attacked the rim and got some easy looks and stemmed the tide."
 
Rocha (10 points), freshman guard Kassidy Gengenbacher (12), senior forward Caroline Bourlioux (12) and senior guard Marissa Lehnig (11) all scored in double figures for Lindenwood. SIU-C junior guard Cartaesha Macklin led all scorers with 16 points. Macklin finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 15 points per game last season.
 
After Rocha's basket gave the Lady Lions a 54-46 lead, Bourlioux grabbed an offensive rebound when the Salukis missed their next field-goal attempt. The Lady Lions pushed the ball down the floor and Rocha scored a layup to give them a 10-point advantage with 5:58 left.
 
Sophomore guard Dru Haertling made two free throws to boost the Lady Lions lead to 58-46. Junior guard Meagan Hittle and Haertling hit back-to-back jump shots to give the Lady Lions a 62-48 lead with 3:42 left. Haertling had six points and an assist in the final 4:36. She finished with nine points and three assists.
 
The Lady Lions were strong on the boards, snaring 26 defensive rebounds and outrebounding the Salukis 41-34. Junior guard Morgan Johnson led the Lady Lions with seven rebounds. Freshman forward Bre Zanders pulled down five boards and Gengenbacher had four.
 
"We have areas of emphasis on both sides of the ball and we teach rebounding every day and at the base level it comes down to toughness," Francis said. "When you see Morgan leading us in rebounds, that let's you know how tough she is."
 
The Lady Lions led most of the first half, and took a 33-23 lead with 1:04 left when Lehnig made a three-point basket. Haertling had the offensive rebound and assist on the play.
 
Lindenwood travels to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Tuesday for its second and last exhibition. Tip off is 7 p.m. The Lady Lions begin their 2013-14 regular season when they travel to the University of Arkansas at Monticello Nov. 9.
 
"We have a lot to work on and one of those things is working on how to win," Francis said.