GAME OVERVIEW
The Lindenwood men's basketball team (2-2) was defeated 88-85 by the Minnesota State Mavericks from Mankato, Minn. on Friday evening. Lindenwood had a three-point opportunity at the buzzer to tie Minnesota State, the preseason NSIC favorites, but were unable to connect on the game-tying shot.

Lindenwood's Brad Newman drilled a three-pointer at the 3:15 mark of the first half, putting the Lions ahead early by a score of 7-2. The home team knocked down back-to-back threes over the next 58 seconds to take a one-point lead with just under 16 minutes left in the opening frame.

Adam Pohlman hit a three of his own just 13 seconds later, giving Lindenwood a 10-8 lead, a lead that the Lions would protect for the duration of the half. The Mavericks hit consecutive free throws with 4:21 on the clock to even the score at 36-36. Lindenwood then closed the first half on a 13-4 run, capped by a Newman layup with two seconds remaining to send the Lions into halftime with a 49-40 edge.

Lindenwood shot 50 percent on its field goal attempts (20-40) during the first half, while hitting on 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from behind the arc. The Lions grabbed 20 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass in the opening 20 minutes.

The home team came charging out of the halftime intermission, outscoring Lindenwood 24-10 over the first 7:45 of play, to take a 64-59 lead.

Lindenwood and Minnesota State exchanged buckets throughout the second half, and the game was tied at 80-80 with 84 seconds to play in regulation.

The Mavericks knocked down a three-pointer with 66 seconds to go, and despite Lindenwood's best efforts, never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the game.

Down three in the final seconds, Newman had a desperation game-tying three-point attempt from the left side, but the attempt went just long.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Newman led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting. Newman was 3-of-5 from three-point territory, and also grabbed five rebounds.
- Chandler Diekvoss hit on 50 percent of his field goal attempts (7-14), finishing with 21 points.
- Chris King (13 points), Drew Moore (11 points), and Pohlman (10 points) all scored in double-figures for the Lions.
- Pohlman led Lindenwood in rebounding with nine boards, and also dished out a team-high five assists.
- The Lions outrebounded the Mavericks (38-37), including a 16-12 edge in offensive boards.
- Lindenwood controlled the paint, holding a 34-24 advantage in points down low.
- The Lions turned the ball over just six times, while turning Minnesota State over 10 times.

QUOTABLE
Head coach Lance Randall
"We played well in stretches, but made a few too many mistakes to close out a great team like Minnesota State in their building. That is one of the better teams in the region, as they were picked to win the NSIC. It was a great atmosphere and great experience tonight, but we let one get away. You have to be better on the boards down the stretch, and you can't make defensive communication mistakes against a team of that caliber on the road. We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves, as we have another nationally-ranked team in St. Cloud State tomorrow."

UP NEXT
Lindenwood will wrap up its two-game stretch in Minnesota tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Lions will face #18 St. Cloud State from Mankato, Minn.