In a win or go home game, Kevin Caldwell Jr. kept the season alive by hitting a buzzer-beater in a 97-96 overtime win for Lindenwood men's basketball (11-20, 6-12 OVC) over Little Rock (10-21, 6-12 OVC) on Saturday from Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.  The Lions will move on to the OVC Championship to take on Southeast Missouri in the first round starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1 in Evansville, Ind.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The first few minutes saw quality defense by both teams, as the Lions took an 8-6 lead at the 14:58 mark.  After the Trojans held a one-point advantage, Keenon Cole knocked down back-to-back three pointers to put the Lions up 14-11.  Lindenwood went on to take a 31-25 lead after a long-range shot by Chris Childs with 4:32 to go in the half.  Little Rock closed out the opening frame on a strong note, taking a 41-39 lead.
 
Both squads shot 50 percent or higher from the field, and each team made four shot from behind the arc through 20 minutes of play.  Little Rock pounded the paint, as DeAntoni Gordon generated 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor.  Cole collected 11 points, while Cam Burrell and Childs each had eight points in the first half.
 
The Trojans slowly built on to their lead, as the 11:49 mark saw Little Rock up by a score of 65-54.  With 4:54 left in regulation, the Trojans were up by 17 points.  Like the previous meeting in Little Rock, Ark., the Lions were not out.  Caldwell Jr. nailed a three-point bucket, and Burrell threw down a dunk to cut the deficit to 12 points with four minutes to go in the second half.
 
After Burrell hit two free throws, Caldwell Jr. knocked down another shot from deep, bringing the Lions within an 81-74 margin.  With two minutes remaining, Burrell registered two more from the charity stripe.  Lindenwood forced a tough shot, and Cole returned down the offensive end to drain a three pointer to make it a two-point game.  The Lions played quality defense again to force a bad shot, and Brandon Trimble got the free-throw line with 25 seconds remaining in regulation.  After hitting both, the Lions got one more stop to send the game to overtime.
 
The overtime period saw the lead change hands multiple times, as the Trojans held a 92-91 lead at the halfway point.  Little Rock tallied two free throws with 1:42 to go in the game, taking a 94-91 advantage.  Caldwell Jr. tied the game just 20 seconds later to tie the game at 94-94.  The Trojans made a tough shot in the paint to regain a two-point lead with just 12.9 left on the clock.  Lindenwood came down the court, and the ball stayed in the hands of Caldwell Jr.  The senior from Alton, Ill. made a move to generate space and hit the game-winner to give the Lions a 97-96 win.
 
The last-second bucket gave the Lions their ticket to the OVC Championship as the No 8 seed.  After posting just five points in the opening half, Caldwell Jr. ended the game with a team-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three-point range.  Burrell posted 23 quality points on 8-of-14 shooting, as he pulled down a team-best nine boards.  Childs made four shots from behind the arc, as he collected 20 points with four rebounds.  Cole was 3-of-4 from three-point range to post 19 points.
 
Lindenwood forced Little Rock into 15 turnovers, which led to 21 fast-break points, including 16 points off turnovers.  The Lions canceled out a 17-point deficit to earn the sixth OVC win of the season.  The Lions won the tiebreaker over Little Rock, after going 2-0 in the season series.  Lindenwood was outstanding from behind the arc, making 14-of-27 (51.9%) including 3-of-3 in the overtime period.
 
QUOTABLE
"So happy for our players," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman.  "I've said it so many times this year, but it's true, they've never stopped working.  Just a bunch of tough-minded guys in the locker room that didn't want the season to end.  A great accomplishment for our team in year one.  We are building something special here."
 
GAME LEADERS
Kevin Caldwell Jr. (26 PTS, 8-of-17 FG, 6-of-10 3FG, 5 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL)
Cam Burrell (23 PTS, 8-of-14 FG, 9 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK)
Chris Childs (20 PTS, 4-of-9 3FG, 4 REB, 1 AST)
Keenon Cole (19 PTS, 6-of-10 FG, 3-of-4 3FG, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK)
 
UP NEXT
The Lions will take on Southeast Missouri State in the first round of the OVC Championship starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1 in Evansville, Ind.