The No. 16 Lindenwood men's lacrosse team led No. 7 Tampa midway through the third quarter, but the Spartans closed out the game strong as they defeated the Lions by a 12-6 margin on Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
 
The Lions scored three times in the final four minutes of the first half, including a goal with two seconds left, which left the game tied 4-4 at the break. Lindenwood then struck early in the third quarter for its first lead of the game at 5-4.
 
The Lions could not keep that momentum though as Tampa scored eight of the final nine goals of the game. The biggest run came when Tampa repeated Lindenwood's feat of scoring three times in the final four minutes of the third quarter. The Spartans' defense sparked the team in the second half, allowing just two goals, including one in the final 26:48.
 
Both teams had 32 shots, but Tampa was on target on more shots with a 25-18 lead in shots on goal. The Spartans had 16 more groundballs and 15 more face-off victories in the game.
 
Garrett Brunsvold led Lindenwood with two goals and three points. Other scores came from Carter Collins, Max Troha, Sam Heaton, and Robbie McCarthy. Leonard Jones had one assist in the game and led the team with three groundballs. Alex Eubank had two caused turnovers. Connor Ciemiewicz made 13 saves in goal, tying for the seventh-most in program history for a game.
 
Lindenwood falls to 3-3 on the season. The team starts a three-game homestand next Tuesday with a 5 p.m. game against Colorado State-Pueblo.