The Lindenwood women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker 84-82 to No. 25 Central Oklahoma in the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament on Saturday night at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 
The two teams were even throughout the stat sheet inducing a matching 21-for-29 from the charity stripe.  Central Oklahoma caught fire in the second half by knocking down six of its nine three-pointers made in the second half alone.  Lindenwood outrebounded Central Oklahoma 41-33 and tallied 38 points in the paint to 30 for the Bronchos.  Lindsay Medlen was 8-of-16 from the floor and ended up with 21 points while grabbing seven boards.  Alex Haley tallied 15 points and forced two steals.  Kallie Bildner (11), Jerricah Butler (10), and Sara Ross (10) each scored in double-digits.
 
The Lady Lions came out swinging in the first few minutes and took a 7-2 lead at the 7:48 mark of the opening quarter.  The Bronchos crawled back to cut the Lindenwood lead to 10-8 halfway through the quarter and the Lady Lions answered.  Lindenwood attacked the paint and made its free-throws to build a 20-10 advantage.  Central Oklahoma made some of those points back in the end of the first quarter and Lindenwood held a 22-15 lead after the opening frame.  The Bronchos shot under 30 percent from the field while Lindenwood made 39 percent from the field.
 
Both teams traded buckets in the first three minutes and Central Oklahoma put together a comeback with a three-pointer at the 6:53 mark.  The Bronchos made another long-ball less than a minute later to pull within one point.  Haley made a tough jumper to give Lindenwood a three-point lead, but the Bronchos tied the game at 29-29 with 4:50 to go in the first half.
 
The Lady Lions stayed strong and did not let the Bronchos take the lead as Bildner made a layup to give Lindenwood a 39-35 lead going into the half.  Haley led the team at the break with 10 points while the team outrebounded its opposition 19-16.  Both squads attacked the paint while Central Oklahoma found its outside game by going 3-for-5 in the second quarter alone.
 
The second half pace started slow, but Butler picked up two strong layups to put the Lady Lions in front 43-39 with 7:43 to go in the third quarter.  The two teams fought back-and-forth for the next couple minutes until the Bronchos tied the game at 45-45.
 
Central Oklahoma took hold of the momentum after a three-pointer gave the Bronchos a 50-47 lead with 3:06 to go in the third quarter.  The Bronchos caught fire from behind the arc and a big swing in the game turned into a 60-49 lead with less than a minute to play in the third frame.  Gabby Walker hit two free-throws to make it a 60-51 ballgame heading into the final quarter of play.
 
Ross made two free-throws in the first 20 seconds of the last quarter and Walker made a layup just a minute later.  Butler hit a mid-range jumper to cut the Bronchos lead to 60-57 with 7:59 remaining in regulation.  Central Oklahoma went true from behind the arc, but the Lady Lions continued to fight back as a three-point play by Medlen made it a 63-60 lead for the Bronchos.  Medlen put the team on her back for the next two possessions and gave Lindenwood a 64-63 lead.
 
After Central Oklahoma was charged with two technical fouls, Bildner made three-of the four free-throws awarded to increase the lead to 67-63.  Central Oklahoma nailed yet another three-pointer before Medlen answered with one of her own.  The Bronchos tied the game at 70-70 with 3:30 to go making for an exciting finish.  Central Oklahoma could not be stopped on the offensive end and took a 77-72 lead with 1:02 remaining after its ninth three-pointer of the game.  The final minute contained 18 free-throws in which the Bronchos came through with an 84-82 win in the semifinal game.
 
Lindenwood ends its historic season with a 14-16 record as the road ended in the semifinal game of the MIAA Tournament.