The Lindenwood men's basketball team (5-4, 5-4 GLVC) lost a tough game to Lewis (6-2, 6-2 GLVC) by a final score of 80-74 on Saturday in Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood struggled to get points on the board in the first two minutes of the game, as Lewis held a 5-0 lead.  The Lions kept pace with the Flyers, but could not bring the game within one possession.  Lewis built an 11-point lead, and closed out the half with a 38-30 advantage.  Anthony Christian had a quality first half for Lindenwood by compiling nine points with six rebounds.  Romelo Burrell tallied seven points, including the only three-point field make for the Lions in the first half.
 
Kevin Caldwell Jr. exploded in the early portion of the second half, which started with a pull-up jumper at the 17:04 mark.  In the next 3:19 of game time, Caldwell Jr. scored eight more points and dished out one assist to bring the Lions within three points.  However, Lindenwood could not take advantage and the Flyers regained a double-digit lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.  The Lions brought the game back to six points with less than one minute left in the game, but Lewis held on for the 80-74 win in Hyland Arena.
 
Lindenwood was hot in the second half, making 52.9 percent (18-for-34) from the field, including 50 percent (5-for-10) from behind the arc.  Lewis had the edge in rebounding, which led the 17 second-chance points for the Flyers.  The Lions were 6-for-10 from the charity stripe, while the Flyers made 22 free throws on 28 attempts.
 
QUOTABLE
"It was a disappointing loss for us today," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "Tip my hat to Lewis, they made a lot of effort and toughness plays that I though was the difference in the game.  We'll learn from it, and get better from it as we move forward into the middle of the season."
 
GAME LEADERS
TJ Crockett (20 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK)
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (16 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST)
Anthony Christian (13 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL)
 
UP NEXT
The Lions will hit the road on Thursday to take on Illinois-Springfield at 6:00 p.m. in Springfield, Ill.