The Lindenwood men's basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak and won for the first time in Hays, Kan. on Saturday afternoon. The Lions defeated Fort Hays State by a 71-62 margin.
 
Lindenwood came into the game with several players injured or battling sickness, but the rest of the team was able to pick up the slack. One of the biggest contributions came from freshman Zac Haese who entered the game with just 23 points on the season. Haese scored 14 points off the bench and gave a big lift to the Lions.
 
Nine of Haese's points came in the first half which helped the team stay in the contest despite shooting just 28 percent from the field. Haese hit his final three-pointer of the half with 28 seconds remaining, which cut the Tigers' lead to just 28-25 at halftime.
 
The second half was close throughout. The Lions trailed 57-56 when two Haese free throws, the first two attempts of his collegiate career, gave the team a 58-57 lead. After a Lindenwood stop, LJ McIntosh hit a three-pointer to put the team up four.
 
Fort Hays cut that lead in half with 3:16 remaining, but two straight layups by Bakari Triggs and Dominique Dobbs put Lindenwood up 65-59. Six straight made free throws in the final 38 seconds then sealed the victory for the Lions.
 
Lindenwood won the game by taking away Fort Hays State's two biggest strengths. The Tigers' Rob Davis came into the game ranked eighth in NCAA Division II in scoring, but Lindenwood held him to just seven points, 16.6 points below his season average. Fort Hays State is also one of the top rebounding teams in the MIAA, but Lindenwood outrebounded the Tigers by a 38-32 margin.
 
Chandler Diekvoss led Lindenwood with 19 points, followed by Triggs with 16. Haese's 14 points included shooting four-of-five from three-point range. Dobbs just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. McIntosh also finished with nine points. Adam Pohlman led the team with six assists, Dobbs had three blocks, and Triggs stole the ball twice.
 
Lindenwood improves to 15-9 on the season and 5-7 in MIAA play. The Lions return home on Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. game against Missouri Western.