ST. CHARLES, MO. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell to the Cleveland State Vikings in a 45-72 loss on Monday evening in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Ball control was a struggle for our team today," said Head Coach Katie Falco. "When we took care of it, we put ourselves in good positions. We will regroup and be ready for our second game of this tournament."

GAME OVERVIEW
Things got off to a bit of a slow start for Lindenwood, as the Vikings held them to a single-digit first quarter. After the first 10 minutes, the Lions were down 7-19, with Emily Benzschawel leading the way statistically after knocking down a three-pointer.

Cleveland State kept their high pressure on in the second, extending their lead by 14 points before half. Lindenwood was able to knock down eight more, however, still trailing 15-31 though. 

Mary McGrath started heating up in the third quarter, looking to help the Lions close the offensive gap as she took over the team leaderboard with nine total points at the conclusion of the third. The Vikings strong shooting (21-49 FG %) was still hard for Lindenwood to come back from, though, before heading into the final quarter of play.

The fourth quarter resulted in 17 more points for Cleveland State, who kept their offensive dominance rolling through the conclusion of the ball game. The Lions didn't give up their fight, however, still able to get some clean shots and strong defensive plays out of the fourth quarter as a collective. 

McGrath would end the day with the most points for the Lions, putting up 12 total after shooting 5-7 from the floor and 2-4 from the three point line. Benzschawel was right on her heels with 11 points (3-5 field goals, 3-3 three-pointers and 2-2 free throws). McGrath and Brooke Woodyard had the strongest numbers on the boards for Lindenwood, each recording four total rebounds. 

Devin Fuhring had a strong game back after a potential re-injury scare in the Lions' matchup with Hannibal-LaGrange, knocking down seven points and three rebounds today against the Vikings. 

GAME LEADERS
Mary McGrath - 12 P, 4 RB, 2 A, 1 ST
Emily Benzschawel - 11 P, 3 RB
Devin Fuhring - 7 P, 3 RB, 1 A, 1 ST

UP NEXT
The Lions will remain in Las Vegas, next taking on the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm CST.