The Lindenwood men's basketball team (0-1) lost its first game of the season to Parkside (1-0) by a final of 79-75 on Friday night inside Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The first half was tightly contested, as the Lions and Rangers posted nearly identical stats through the first 20 minutes.  Parkside held a six-point advantage in the paint, but three different Lions hit a three-pointer on nine attempts.  Jacoby Ross led the Lions with 10 points in the first half, while Romelo Burrell put up four points and four rebounds.  Trent Champagne hit a three-pointer at the 8:20 mark to give Lindenwood a 19-16 advantage.  Later in the half, Brandon Suggs threw down a strong dunk to give Lindenwood a six point lead with 3:16 remaining.  The Rangers registered a layup in the final 30 seconds to make it a 30-28 Lindenwood lead at the half.
 
In the second half, both teams continued to battle, but Parkside snagged momentum near the halfway point.  The Rangers went on a 12-0 run to hold a 51-42 lead at the 11:25 mark of the second half.  Lindenwood stayed within striking distance for the next five minutes, but again the Rangers went on a run to take a 14-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game.  Lindenwood clawed back to a three-point deficit with 22 seconds to go, but Parkside held on for the four-point victory.
 
Burrell got to the charity stripe 15 times in the second half, as he scored 18 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes.  Burrell registered his fourth double-double as a Lion with his 22 points and 10 boards.  The Lions outscored the Rangers 33-32 from the field in the second half, but Parkside made seven more free throws which proved to be the difference in the game.  Lindenwood allowed 14 second-chance points to Parkside, as the Rangers outrebounded the Lions 26-12 in the second half.  Lindenwood compiled an impressive seven blocks and nine steals in the game.
 
GAME LEADERS
Romelo Burrell (22 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK, 2 AST, 2 STL)
Jacoby Ross (21 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK)
Brandon Suggs (8 PTS, 3 REB, 3 BLK)
 
QUOTABLE
"It's a tough loss to open the season, but I thought our effort and competitiveness was pretty solid," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "We have to quickly learn from our mistakes and get ready for a good Kentucky Wesleyan team tomorrow night."
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will host Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. inside Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.