The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 69-60 to Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Sunday afternoon in an exhibition matchup in Edwardsville, Ill.
 
The Lady Lions went down 3-0, but sophomore transfer Sara Ross drained a three-pointer to tie the game with the Cougars.  In the final five minutes of the first quarter, Lindenwood scored 14 points with the help a three-pointers by freshman Kallie Bildner and Megan Foster.  The Lady Lions held a 21-18 lead after the opening quarter and took the momentum into the second quarter.
 
Foster and Kylie Ferguson each had three points in the first five minutes to help Lindenwood stay in front.  Charisse Williams knocked down two free-throws to give the Lady Lions a four-point lead, and Ferguson later hit a three-pointer to extend the cushion to five.  Southern Illinois Edwardsville held the Lady Lions scoreless through the rest of the half and took a 36-32 lead at the break.  Lindenwood was outrebounded 27-17 in the opening half, but knocked down all nine free throw attempts, and shot 41.7 percent from behind the arc.
 
The Lady Lions scored just five points in over seven minutes of the third quarter.  Bildner hit two free-throws with 2:38 left in the third quarter to make it a 10-point game.  CeCe Rapp scored four points in the final two minutes to help pull Lindenwood within seven points to end the third frame.  In the first five minutes of the final quarter, Southern Illinois Edwardsville kept the seven-point buffer, and extended the lead to 12 points with less than five minutes to go in the game.
 
Neither team scored until the 3:05 mark when Williams hit two free throws to bring the Lady Lions within 10 points.  Bildner hit two free-throws of her own less than a minute later to make it an eight-point game, but the Cougars stayed poised under pressure and went back up by 10 points.  Bre Zanders made a free throw to get the game back to single digits, and Breanna Venson knocked down a jumper to make it a 67-60 ballgame, but the Courgars held on for a 69-60 win over Lindenwood.
 
Southern Illinois Edwardsville grabbed 48 rebounds including 14 on offense, while Lindenwood snagged 31 boards with just nine on the offensive end.  The Lady Lions finished the day with an 87.5 free throw percentage, but did not make a three-pointer in the second half.  Williams and Bildner ended their day with 10 points each as both scored the majority of their points at the free throw line.  Hannah Reller grabbed a team-high five rebounds and senior transfer Alex Haley dished out four assists.
 
Lindenwood opens its season on Friday in Dayton Beach, Fla. to take on Embry-Riddle at 5 p.m. (4 p.m. central).  The Lady Lions will remain in Florida on Sunday to take on Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. central).