The Lindenwood men's basketball team lost a defensive battle on Thursday night in Hyland Arena to Northeastern State. The Lions fell in the MIAA contest by a 58-53 score.
 
The Lions shot just 35.4 percent from the field in the game and turned the ball over 16 times. Lindenwood had just 17 field goals against the RiverHawks. Northeastern State also struggled offensively, shooting 40 percent from the field and also turning the ball over 16 times. The RiverHawks outrebounded the Lions by 12 boards, and had a 12-3 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Lindenwood had an early 9-6 lead in the game, but Northeastern State took the lead for good with a 14-2 run. The RiverHawks were able to get inside during that stretch, with 10 of the 14 points coming in shots inside the paint. Northeastern State added to its lead late in the half and led 31-20 at the break.
 
The Lions tried to get back into the game defensively in the second half as they allowed just three field goals over the first 13 minutes of the period. The offense couldn't get much going though in that span, as it cut the lead to just 38-34 with 7:07 remaining. Northeastern State answered with a 7-0 run that put the lead back to double-digits. Lindenwood was able to get the deficit down to five in the final minute, but it was too late as the RiverHawks finished the Lions off at the free-throw line.
 
Bakari Triggs led Lindenwood with an all-around game of 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. He had double-figure points for the first time after making five-of-seven from the field. Chandler Diekvoss had a team-high 15 points and he grabbed six rebounds. Dominique Dobbs led the team with seven rebounds and three blocks, and Adam Pohlman had a team-high three assists.
 
Lindenwood falls to 11-6 overall and 1-4 in MIAA play. The Lions return to conference action Saturday afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. game at home against Central Oklahoma.