The Lindenwood men's basketball team (12-15, 8-11 GLVC) nearly pulled off the comeback on Thursday, as the Lions lost 75-72 to UIndy (16-9, 10-7 GLVC) inside Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood was playing its second game in as many days, but Kevin Caldwell Jr. opened up the scoring with a three-point bucket.  The two teams traded leads before UIndy jumped out to a 17-13 lead.  At the 8:55 mark of the first half, Jacoby Ross hit a three-pointer to make it a 24-18 game, but the Greyhounds stayed efficient on offense.  Lindenwood struggled to slow the points in the paint by UIndy, as the Greyhounds held a 40-28 lead at the half.
 
After building a 14-point lead, Lindenwood got hot from behind the arc, which started with a three-point bucket by Ross at the 16:55 mark.  Caldwell Jr. made a three pointer just 30 seconds later, and Brandon Trimble knocked one down after a minute of game clock.  Ross drained the fourth-consecutive three-point bucket, bringing the Lions within three points with 14:58 to go in the game.
 
UIndy built its lead back to double-digits at the 6:49 mark, forcing Lindenwood to lock in down the stretch.  The Lions hit key free throws to stay within striking distance, and a three-point bucket by Ross made it a 70-69 game with 2:49 to play.  Lindenwood was solid on the defensive end, but second-chance points late in the game proved to be crucial in the three-point loss.
 
GAME LEADERS
Jacoby Ross (22 PTS, 6-of-11 3PT, 3 AST, 1 REB)
Romelo Burrell (19 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK)
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (13 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST)

QUOTABLE
"We came up just short in a tough matchup," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "I thought we battled through a really bad first half, but the leadership by our seniors showed a tremendous amount of character to fight back and give ourselves a chance to win."
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will close out the regular season on Saturday, when the Lions visit Southern Indiana at 3:00 p.m. in Evansville, Ind.