The Lindenwood men's basketball team won its home opener on Monday night at Hyland Arena with an 86-61 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange.
 
The Lions defense had 13 steals in the game and it forced 23 turnovers. That led to 27 points off turnovers, including 10 that came on fast-break points. The best example of Lindenwood's defense came during a 17-2 first-half run that helped the Lions open up a 38-22 advantage. The Lions forced four turnovers in less than two minutes during that span, and Lindenwood converted three of them into easy field goals.
 
After that point, Lindenwood had a 46-37 lead at halftime, and never saw its lead get cut lower than seven points in the second half.
 
Offensively, Lindenwood had a balanced effort with four players in double-figures. The Lions received 41 points from its bench, compared to 12 for the Trojans. The Lions also had a big advantage in points in the paint with a 36-12 margin.
 
The Lions finished the game making 50 percent of their shots from the field, and they made 11 three-pointers. Hannibal-LaGrange also made 11 long-distance shots, and shot 48.9 percent from the field. Lindenwood held the Trojans to just 36.4 percent shooting in the second half, and Hannibal-LaGrange scored just 24 in the period. The Lions had 19 more shot in the game due to the turnovers and 15 offensive rebounds.
 
Chandler Diekvoss had a team-high 19 points, and also tied for the team-high with eight rebounds and three steals. TJ Crockett hit four three-pointers and finished with a season-high 17 points. Max Meylor had 14 points, and knocked down three three-pointers. Brad Newman was the final Lion in double-figure scoring with 12.
 
Dominique Dobbs grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots. Adam Pohlman collected four assists, and Landon Mills tied for the team-high with three steals.
 
Lindenwood improves to 4-1 on the season. The Lions are off until Nov. 28 when it hosts Beloit at 7 p.m. in Hyland Arena.