The Lance Randall era for the Lindenwood men's basketball program started on a good note on Friday night in Weatherford, Okla. The Lions defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State by a 77-68 score in the first game of the Southwestern Oklahoma State Classic. 

The Lions took control of the game in the final minutes of the first half, and then held on to that lead for the entire second half. Lindenwood trailed 22-19 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, but it closed the half on a 14-4 run. Two newcomers sparked that run as Chandler Diekvoss had four points in the spurt, including an old fashion three-point play, and Jake Showalter scored the final four points of the half, including a layup in the final seconds. 

The Lions extended their lead to as many as 12 points on two occasions in the second half. The Bulldogs chipped away though and got within four at 69-65 with 2:14 remaining. Cory Arentsen hit a layup at that point to put Lindenwood back up by six, and the team hit all six of its free-throw attempts down the stretch to put the game into the win column. 

Lindenwood's shooting was the difference as the Lions made 51.9 percent of their field goals, 40 percent of their three-point attempts, and 94.4 percent of their free throws. A big reason for the high field-goal percentage was that the Lions were getting shots in the paint, as they outscored Southwestern Oklahoma by a 40-18 margin in points in the paint. Soutwestern Oklahoma finished the contest shooting 39.3 percent from the field, and 56.3 percent from the free-throw line. 

The Lions had a balanced scoring effort with four starters in double-figure points. Arentsen had a team-high 18 points, followed by Mader with 17, Brad Newman with 15, and Stanislas Heili with 12. Mader displayed a new weapon during the game. He entered the contest making just one-of-five three-pointers in his Lindenwood career. On Friday night, Mader knocked down all three three-pointers he attempted.

Heili recorded a double-double in his Lindenwood debut with 11 rebounds, and Arentsen finished with seven. The Lions had a 36-31 edge on the boards for the game. Diekvoss had a team-high four assists and Heili blocked three shots. Showalter led the players off the bench with seven points, and Zachary Biggs had five rebounds in 12 minutes.

Lindenwood won its season opener for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Lions will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they face Southern Nazarene in the final game at the Southwestern Oklahoma State Classic.