The Lindenwood men's basketball team (5-5) lost to Western Washington (7-3) lost 60-58 on Friday night in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The Lions fell behind by double digits after just over five minutes played in the first half.  Lindenwood scored just six points in the first 10 minutes of play, and the Lions were down 27-10 at the 1:48 mark.  Romelo Burrell hit a tough layup with 56 seconds to go, and made the bonus free throw to bring the deficit to 14 points.
 
In the final seconds, Kevin Caldwell Jr. knocked down a three-point shot and Burrell made a pair of free throws to make it just a 33-24 game at the break.  Lindenwood struggled from the filed in the first 20 minutes, shooting just 1-of-9 from deep and made 27.6 percent of its shots from the field.
 
Western Washington maintained a comfortable lead early in the second frame, but the Lions clawed back.  Caldwell Jr. caught fire at the 13:29 mark, as he made it an eight-point deficit with a three pointer before making another just one minute later to bring the game to 44-39.  Lindenwood pulled within one point after Burrell hit a pair of free throws with 7:32 remaining.  The Lions got to the free throw line to bring the game to a tie after Caldwell Jr. made two free throws at the 4:15 mark.
 
Less than a minute later, Jacoby Ross put the Lions up 56-54 after a made jumper in the paint.  Western Washington broke the tie with 11 seconds to go in the game, and the Lions could not complete the comeback as they fell by just two points.  Lindenwood shot 45 percent from the field in the second half, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc.  The Lions were outscored 30-18 in the paint, but forced a total of seven turnovers which led to 15 points.
 
GAME LEADERS
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (19 PTS, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 REB)
Romelo Burrell (15 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK, 1 AST)
Jacoby Ross (11 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST)

QUOTABLE
"I'm proud of the effort from our guys after a very slow start," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "We have to keep improving as a group, and I think we showed that a little tonight against a very good Western Washington team.  Being in a position to win at the end of the game is all we can ask for."
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will stay in Las Vegas, Nev. for a game against No. 4 West Texas A&M on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. CST)