The Lindenwood women's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a thrilling 74-72 win over Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. on Thursday night.
 
Lindenwood powered through foul trouble and struggled to guard the three-point shooting from Missouri Southern, but found a way to earn its second MIAA win this season.  Gabby Walker scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to help Lindenwood shoot 46 percent from the field and compile 46 points in the paint.  Lindsay Medlen had one of the best all-around games for Lindenwood in recent memory with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.  Jerricah Butler has had a strong senior season and pitched in 12 points with six rebounds including five on the offensive end.  The Lady Lions outrebounded Missouri Southern 44-34, but continued to have issues at the free-throw line by shooting just 56 percent.
 
Missouri Southern jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but the Lady Lions scored on back-to-back layups to regain the lead.  The host Lions went on a 5-0 run in the next minute to take a 10-5 lead over Lindenwood.  Walker was a force in the possessions to follow as she scored six of the next eight points to put Lindenwood up 13-10 with 3:30 remaining in the opening quarter.  Missouri Southern tied the game on the next two trips, but a three-pointer by Megan Foster gave the Lady Lions a three-point lead and ended the first quarter with an 18-15 advantage.  The host Lions grabbed 10 rebounds in the opening frame while Lindenwood scored 14 points in the paint and turned the ball over just two times.
 
Walker was a force in the paint and picked up four more points to put the Lady Lions in front 24-18 with 6:23 remaining in the half.  Missouri Southern closed the gap with a three-pointer, but Butler hit a mid-range jumper to keep the Lady Lions ahead by two possessions.  The Lady Lions turned the ball over on back-to-back trips down the court and Missouri Southern took advantage with a three-pointer to tie the game at 26-26.  Lindenwood found itself down 33-30 with less than one minute to go in the opening half with the help of free-throws.  Missouri Southern added to the lead with a pair of free-throws, but Butler hit a clutch three-pointer to put Lindenwood down 35-33.  Lindenwood outscored the host Lions 24-8 in the paint in the first half and each team turned the ball over eight times.  Missouri Southern was 5-for-11 from three-point range and 10-for-12 on free-throw attempts while Lindenwood was just 1-of-4 at the line.
 
Missouri Southern continued to shoot well from behind the arc and built a 40-35 lead with less than two minutes off the clock in the third quarter.  Alex Haley went on a tear in the next minute as she scored on a mid-range jumper, knocked down two free-throws, and hit a three-pointer to put Lindenwood back on top 42-40 with 6:54 remaining in the third frame.  Both teams traded buckets back-and-forth throughout the third quarter, but the host Lions scored the last bucket of the third frame to take a 54-53 lead heading into the final quarter of the game.
 
Butler scored a new career-high after tallying her 11th point of the game to give Lindenwood a 55-54 advantage, but back-to-back three-pointers by Missouri Southern flipped the lead back to the host Lions at 60-57 with 8:38 on the clock.  Just 30 seconds later, Missouri Southern added to the lead with a layup to take a four-point advantage.  Medlen hit a much-need three-ball at the 6:19 mark to pull Lindenwood within one point.  Beth Maenpaa received a great pass from to help the Lady Lions gain a 63-62 lead after the seventh assist from Medlen.
 
Missouri Southern committed a flagrant foul with 3:25 on the clock allowing Lindenwood to tie the game at 64-64 after Charisse Williams made one free-throw.  After sitting out most of the second half because of foul trouble, Walker gave Lindenwood a two-point lead and Medlen drained a three-pointer to put Lindenwood up 69-64 with less than three minutes remaining in the game.  Haley nailed two clutch free-throws at the two-minute mark to give the Lady Lions a 71-66 lead in the fourth quarter.  Missouri Southern hit a big three-pointer and made a free-throw to pull within one point with less than a minute to go in the game.  After the timeout, Lindenwood carried the ball up the court and was fouled prior to crossing the half court line.  Medlen made the first free-throw and Butler grabbed the rebound on the miss to give Lindenwood a new shot clock and the ball with 51 seconds to go.  Williams hit a tough layup with 2.3 seconds on the clock to give Lindenwood a 74-72 lead.
 
Head Coach Tony Francis expressed how happy he was with the constant fight his team has been through, especially through a long stretch of games.
 
"I am proud of this group for showing such toughness," opened Francis. "An entire team effort that demonstrates the adversity we can overcome when we stay aggressive and confident," added Francis.  Coach Francis ended, "The ladies took a big step in growth tonight."
 
Lindenwood improves to 6-8 on the season and 2-5 in the MIAA while Missouri Southern falls to 9-7 on the season and 4-3 in conference play.  The Lady Lions will travel to Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday to take on No. 5 Pittsburg State at 1:30 p.m.