The Lindenwood women's basketball team defeated Lindenwood-Belleville 71-67 on Tuesday night in Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
Alex Haley led the team with 13 points while Kallie Bildner was two points away from another double-double as she finished with 11 rebounds and eight points.  Charisse Williams and Sara Ross showed their speed in the weeknight win.  Williams dropped 12 points and snagged two steals while Ross tallied 11 points, four steals, five rebounds, and three assists.  Lindenwood made just one three-pointer in the game, but the opposing Lynx made all five of their three-pointers in the second half.
 
Ross set the tone for the Lady Lions after scoring on the first shot of the game as Lindenwood followed up with two quick buckets to take a 6-2 lead in less than two minutes into the game.  Williams scored her second bucket of the game to give the Lady Lions an 8-2 lead, but the Lynx fought back to tie the game at 8-8 with 5:29 to go in the first half.  Lindenwood-Belleville shut down the Lady Lions' offense for over five minutes of play until Lindsay Medlen knocked down a three-pointer to make it a 14-11 lead to the Lynx.  Ross continued her strong start with five-straight points to give the Lady Lions a slim 16-14 lead after the first quarter of play.
 
The sophomore transfer, Ross ended the first quarter with nine points and two steals as Williams scored four points.  Bildner was held scoreless, but grabbed three boards for the Lady Lions.  The rebounding margin was even at 10-10 while the Lynx tallied three blocks.  Lindenwood shot 35 percent from the field and the Lynx made 43 percent on their shots.
 
Haley scored her first points in the second quarter including back-to-back jumpers to put Lindenwood up 20-16 with 8:11 on the clock.  The Lady Lions found success with the fast-paced play by Ross and Williams.  With a 24-22 lead, Ross and Williams combined for six points to put the Lady Lions up 30-22 with just over two minutes to go in the half.  Both squads traded baskets to end the half, ending with a 32-25 Lindenwood lead.
 
The scoring leader was Ross with 11 while Williams tallied eight at the break.  Both sophomores led the team with four rebounds apiece while Ross added three steals to her stat line.  Lindenwood shot just under 47 percent in the second frame and the two teams were tied in the rebounding category at 20-20.  The Lady Lions tallied eight bench points while holding the Lynx bench scoreless in the opening half.
 
In the opening minutes of the second half, three Lindenwood freshmen pitched in on the first six points to put the Lady Lions up 38-30. Bildner picked up her post play with two offensive rebounds and had a hand in on the next four points for Lindenwood.  Lindenwood-Belleville kept fighting back and made it a 48-38 game with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter.  Jerricah Butler scored her sixth point of the night after grabbing an offensive rebound and drew a foul on the next trip down the court which led to her knocking down both free-throws.  Lindenwood ended the third quarter with a 55-41 lead with the help of 55 percent shooting from the field.
 
Ross and Haley each had double-digits in the scoring category while Bildner registered nine rebounds.  The Lady Lions grabbed the rebounding edge with a 32-28 advantage.  The Lynx scored two three-pointers in the third frame to keep the Lynx within striking distance.
 
The Lady Lions continued to generate points with the speed of Williams who scored two quick baskets to open the final quarter.  Lindenwood-Belleville found its stroke from behind the arc to pull within six points with 4:41 to go in the game.  The Lynx made it 61-58 after a three-point play, but Bildner and Walker powered their way to help extend the Lindenwood lead to 66-58 with 2:16 remaining.  Haley and Medlen scored two clutch buckets to put Lindenwood up 70-61 with just over 30 second to go in the game.  The Lynx put the pressure on late, but the Lady Lions held on for a 71-67 win in Hyland Arena.
 
After the home victory, Lindenwood improves to 3-2 on the season and the Lynx fall to 4-3 on the year.  The Lady Lions will hit the road on Monday to take on Arkansas-Monticello at 3 p.m. in Monticello, Ark. for the final non-conference game before the Lady Lions open MIAA play.