The Lindenwood men's basketball team lost a shootout to No. 24 Northwest Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Maryville, Mo. The battle between the top two teams in the MIAA standings was won by the Bearcats by a 75-73 score.
Lindenwood kept the game close thanks to the top offensive performance in school history by Arentsen. Arentsen finished with 46 points, breaking the school's single-game record of 44 which had been set by Brandon Braswell in 1992 and Earl Austin Jr. in 1986. Arentsen had 28 points at halftime, and added 18 more in the second half. He finished the day making 16-of-26 from the field, eight-of-12 from three-point range, and six-of-six from the free-throw line.
While Arentsen carried the Lions' offense, Northwest Missouri was more balanced, especially from beyond the arc. The Bearcats hit 11 three-pointers in the first half and finished with 14, and four different players had at least two three-pointers.
The game matched up the top two defensive teams in the MIAA, but the offenses were the story. Northwest Missouri shot 59.6 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from three-point range. Lindenwood connected on 56.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. The two teams combined for just 13 turnovers, and made 16-of-17 free throws.
The Bearcats used their early hot shooting from three-point range to jump out to an early eight-point lead. Lindenwood tied the game once in the first half but could never take the lead, and Northwest Missouri led 43-40 at halftime.
The second half played out in a similar fashion, with the Lions never able to go ahead and the Bearcats never leading by more than six points. Lindenwood was down 75-70 with under 50 seconds remaining when Arentsen broke the school record with a three-pointer to make the score 75-73.
Lindenwood defensive forced a missed shot and got the rebound, giving the Lions a chance to tie or take the lead. Lindenwood got the ball inside in the final seconds, but missed a shot in the paint with three seconds left. It got one more chance after the Bearcats turned the ball over on an inbounds pass, but the Lions' final three-point attempt was just off the mark.
Stanislas Heili finished with 15 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field, and
Brad Newman had eight points and eight assists. The eight assists were the most by a Lion since Alex Bazzell had 11 against Central Missouri in 2013.
Chandler Diekvoss had a team-high five rebounds.
Lindenwood falls to 15-8 overall and 11-6 in the MIAA. The Lions return home next Saturday for a 3 p.m. game against Washburn.
