The Lindenwood men's basketball team dropped a defensive battle on Monday night. The Lions lost to Emporia State by a 70-59 margin in Emporia, Kan.
 
The first half of the game was back-and-forth with neither team having more than a five-point lead. The squads were tied five times, with the final being at 20-20. The Lions tied the game up at that point on a layup by Chandler Diekvoss, which started a 7-0 run that gave Lindenwood a 25-20 advantage. Both teams scored one more time in the half, and the Lions led 27-22 at halftime.
 
In the second half, Emporia State had two large runs that proved to be the difference. The Hornets held the Lions without a point for the first six minutes of the second half, and they went on a 10-0 run that put them up 32-27.
 
Lindenwood came back and the two teams traded the lead eight times in a four-minute span. The Lions took their final lead at the 6:27 mark on a three-point play by LJ McIntosh. Emporia State retook the lead on its next possession with a three-pointer, and that sparked a 10-2 spurt that put the Hornets up 58-51.
 
The Lions made one more run, getting within two at 58-56 with 3:07 remaining. Lindenwood made two straight turnovers though, and Emporia State made its free throws down the stretch for the victory.
 
Both teams turned the ball over 14 times, and struggled shooting the ball. The Lions finished making 38.5 percent of their shots and 35 percent of their three-pointers. The Hornets shot 42.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range. Emporia State went to the free-throw line six more times and scored five more points at the line. The Hornets also won the rebounding battle by 10 boards, which led to a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Diekvoss led the Lions in scoring with 13 points, and Brenon Larson-Gulsvig had 11 points. Dominique Dobbs just missed another double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Rayko Dundalov led the bench scoring with seven points, and Jackson Price had a team-high five assists off the bench.
 
Lindenwood goes into Christmas break with a 9-5 overall record and a 1-3 MIAA mark. The Lions return to the court on New Year's Eve with a noon home game against Missouri-St. Louis.