The Lindenwood men's basketball team (1-3) lost to Lamar (3-1) on Friday afternoon by a final of 73-71 in Lake Charles, La.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood was hot from behind the arc to start the weekend, as the Lions jumped out to an 11-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.  Kevin Caldwell Jr. made it a 13-point game at the 13:53 mark after knocking down a jumper off a turnover.  Cam Burrell put the Lions ahead 24-10 near the halfway point, but Lamar began to chip away at the lead.
 
The Lindenwood offense went scoreless for a four-minute stretch, and the Cardinals tied the game at 33-33 with just 1:38 remaining in the opening frame.  The Lions were able to close out the half on a high note, as a layup by Keenon Cole put the Lions back up by six after 20 minutes of play.
 
Lamar made adjustments at the break, and took a 42-41 lead by the 18:06 mark after knocking down a long-range shot.  Nearly three minutes later, Chris Childs hit a three pointer on the fast break to make it a 51-46 lead for the Lions.  Brandon Trimble later extended the lead to eight points with 10:22 remaining.
 
Similar to the first half, the Cardinals slowly cut into the Lindenwood lead, and took a lead of their own at the 2:50 mark after hitting a pair of free throws.  Lamar carried momentum late into the game, and held on to its slim lead for the win over the Lions.
 
QUOTABLE
"Hard fought loss today for sure," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "We had our chances over 40 minutes of play.  We'll learn a lot from this as we continue to grow.  As we told the team, if we put ourselves in that same position game in and game out, as we improve, we will find our success."
 
GAME LEADERS
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (19 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST)
Cam Burrell (16 PTS, 9 REB, 4 BLK, 1 AST, 1 STL)
Chris Childs (17 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK)
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will stay in Lake Charles, La. for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff with McNeese State on Saturday.