The Lindenwood men's basketball team had an off-night on Thursday at Hyland Arena, and the Lions fell to Southwest Baptist by an 81-54 score.
 
The battle between two of the top defensive teams in the MIAA was decided in the first 20 minutes as nothing went right for Lindenwood on either side of the court. Southwest Baptist made 13 of its first 17 shots, while the Lions made just three out of their first 18. The Bearcats had four runs of seven or more points, including one 15-0 run, and Lindenwood trailed 49-27 at the break.
 
The Lions finished the half shooting just 23.1 percent from the field, while Southwest Baptist shot 66.7 percent. The Bearcats also won the rebounding battle by a 23-10 margin.
 
Both teams' shooting percentages returned a little closer to average in the second half, but the Lions could never get closer than 19 points. Midway through the half, Southwest Baptist had another large run, this time a 16-2 spurt which extended its lead to 33.
 
Lindenwood ended the game shooting just 32.1 percent from the field, including 26.1 percent from three-point range. Southwest Baptist shot just under 60 percent from the field, and it was 53.3 percent from three-point range. The Bearcats won the rebounding battle 39-24, and the Lions forced four more turnovers in the contest.
 
Bakari Triggs led Lindenwood in the game with 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals. All three of those numbers set or tied a career-high. Landon Mills and LJ McIntosh each had two assists, and Chandler Diekvoss and Dominique Dobbs each had a block.
 
Lindenwood falls to 14-7 overall and 4-5 in the MIAA. The Lions return to action on Saturday afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. game against Central Missouri.