The Lindenwood men's basketball team (11-13, 7-9 GLVC) had a complete team effort on Monday, as the Lions torched Missouri S&T (10-13, 6-10 GLVC) in a 101-66 victory inside Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The Lions scored points on their first six possessions, taking an 11-6 lead.  Missouri S&T closed the gap to just an 18-16 Lindenwood lead, but the Lions were hot on the offensive end.  The Lions and Miners traded buckets, but a three-point shot by Kevin Caldwell Jr. sparked a big run at the 8:18 mark of the first half.
 
Jacoby Ross extended the lead to 42-25 with 6:24 to play in the opening frame.  Lindenwood built a 20-point lead less than a minute later, and Caldwell Jr. eclipsed the 20-point plateau himself with just 4:45 remaining.  The Lions closed out the half with a 52-37 lead after shooting an impressive 61.1 percent from the field, including 54.5 percent from behind the arc.
 
Lindenwood continued to play pure basketball in the second half, but picked up its defensive play significantly.  The Lions forced tough shots and created turnovers to generate additional possessions to gain ground on the Miners.  Romelo Burrell tallied his 12th point of the game at the 11:33 mark, as he drained a three pointer to make it a 70-48 lead.
 
Missouri S&T pulled within 15 points inside 10 minutes to play, but Trent Champagne hit a three-point bucket to keep the large lead.  Ross and Brandon Trimble were locked in down the stretch, helping the Lions build a 30-point advantage.  Lindenwood rolled to a high-quality 35-point victory on Monday.
 
The Lions shot 56.9 percent in the game, and hit 48.0 percent from behind the three-point line.  Defensively, Lindenwood forced 12 turnovers, compiled eight steals, and registered five blocks.  To go along with the strong night from deep, the Lions outscored the Miners in the paint by a margin of 42-28.
 
GAME LEADERS
Jacoby Ross (31 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL, 2 AST)
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (23 PTS, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 REB)
Romelo Burrell (18 PTS, 9 REB, 4 BLK, 4 STL, 1 AST)
Brandon Suggs (8 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST) 
Brandon Trimble (10 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL)

QUOTABLE
"I'm really happy for our team tonight," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "Obviously we played really well offensively, but I was thrilled with our defensive engagement over 40 minutes of basketball.  Wins are hard to come by in this league, and I'm glad our guys got to enjoy one a little bit tonight."
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will head to Lebanon, Ill. on Thursday to take on McKendree at 7:00 p.m.