The Lindenwood men's basketball team picked up its first MIAA postseason victory in program history on Tuesday night in Pittsburg, Kan. with a 77-68 win over Pittsburg State. The Lions advance to the MIAA Quarterfinals which will be played on Friday night at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 
The Lions returned to their winning formula of getting an early lead with strong defense, and then holding on to that lead for the rest of the game. Most impressively, Lindenwood was able to pull away in the final 10 minutes with two of its top players on the bench with four fouls.
 
Pittsburg State scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer 70 seconds into the contest, but the Lions held the Gorillas without a point for the next seven minutes. Lindenwood's offense took advantage with an 11-0 run, and the Lions never gave up that lead. They continued their strong defense, holding the Gorillas to 25 percent shooting in the first half. Lindenwood eventually led by as many as 16, and went into halftime with a 33-21 lead.
 
In the second half, the Gorillas cut Lindenwood's lead into single digits with a 7-0 run that made the score 38-32. Pittsburg State trailed by eight at the 11:11 mark, but appeared to gain the momentum after Cory Arentsen was called for his fourth foul. Three minutes later, Stanislas Heili also picked up his fourth, putting two of Lindenwood's top three scorers on the bench for an extended time.
 
Lindenwood did not panic though, as it increased its lead in the eight minutes that Arentsen was out. Brad Newman played a big part of that, scoring 10 points in that stretch, including some of the top baskets in the game. The Gorillas got within six at 55-49 with 6:55 left, but Lindenwood answered with an 8-0 run. Six of those points came on pull-up jumpers by Newman, and the other two were on a fast-break layup by LJ McIntosh.
 
The Gorillas had one more run, scoring ten straight to pull within 69-63 with 1:27 left. Arensten made another key basket though with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to essentially seal the win for the Lions.
 
Lindenwood finished the game by shooting 56.9 percent from the field, tying for its third-highest mark of the year. Defensively, the Gorillas shot just 39.7 percent from the field, and they were 30.4 percent from three-point range. The Lions also won the rebounding battle by a 36-23 margin.
 
Lindenwood had four players in double-figure scoring, led by Arentsen with 28 points. Newman, McIntosh, and Heili combined to shoot 17-of-23 from the field. Newman finished with 17 points, McIntosh had a career-high 16, and Heili had 14. Heili just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, and he also led the team with three blocks. Newman dished out six assists, helping Lindenwood have its fifth-highest point total of the season.
 
Lindenwood improves to 16-13 on the season. The 16 victories over a NCAA Division II program are a new season record for the program. The ninth-seeded Lions will face top-seed Northwest Missouri on Friday at 6 p.m. The Bearcats have won 12 straight and are ranked 13th in NCAA Division II. The two teams split the season series, with Lindenwood winning 68-52 in St. Charles, and Northwest Missouri winning 75-73 in Maryville.
 
Lindenwood fans interested in attending Friday's game can call 636-949-4953 for ticket information.