ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood men's basketball (8-14, 2-7 OVC) picked up their second Ohio Valley Conference win of the season after defeating SEMO (7-15, 2-7 OVC) by a final score of 58-54 on Tuesday. It also marked the first OVC home win for the Lions this season.
"It wasn't the prettiest game on either side of the ball, but I thought for our guys to dig in and stay tough over 40 minutes was resilient," said head coach
Kyle Gerdeman. "These guys deserved it and I am glad we got it done tonight."
Keenon Cole was clutch down the stretch making his last eight free throws to help Lindenwood secure their second win over the Redhawks this season. Cole scored 20 points on Tuesday while shooting 5-14 from the field and 10-12 from the line. He also led the team with eight rebounds. Cole scored 42 points in the first matchup at SEMO.
Darius Beane lifted the Lions on both ends of the floor scoring 14 points and picking up a team-high five steals. Beane's steal with six seconds left in the game allowed
Nathan Johnson Jr. to go to the line and put LU up two possessions.
Scoring was tough to come by in the first half with both teams shooting under 35.0%. Lindenwood had three early turnovers to start the game when it was tied 5-5 at the first media timeout.
Johnson Jr. off the bench provided a spark for the Lions after scoring four straight points to give Lindenwood an 11-5 lead with just under 12 minutes to play. He ended the game with six points and four rebounds while hitting two key free throws.
The Lions would stretch the lead to 15-5 around the 11 minute mark before a long scoring drought. After starting the game shooting 7-14, Lindenwood ended the first half shooting 2-14 and 0-6 from three. SEMO's Josh Early had seven points in the first half to lead the Redhawks and cut the lead to 20-18 heading into the break.
Twenty points marked the lowest half total for the Lions this season, but holding SEMO to 18 points also marked the lowest they allowed a team to score in a half. Lindenwood took 13 more shots than SEMO in the first 20 minutes while also causing 13 turnovers and picking up nine steals.
The Redhawks started the second half hitting 3-4 shots to tie the game at 24 apiece.
Keith Haymon II drilled a three to put LU up three early in the half. For the game, the two teams combined for 2-21 on three-point attempts.
Beane caught fire late in the game for the Lions scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half. After trailing by two with 7:45 remaining, Beane's drive resulted in a and-one putting the Lions up one point.
SEMO's Braxton Stacker had a cutting dunk with under 3:00 minutes to play, putting them up 46-45. There was 14 ties in Tuesday's game and nine lead changes including another and-one by
Isaac Ondekane with 2:25 left putting LU up 48-46. Ondekane had 11 points while shooting 5-5 from the field.
Ondekane's biggest play was one of his three offensive rebounds after a Johnson Jr. missed pull-up giving the Lions possession with 35 seconds remaining. Cole was fouled 10 seconds later putting him at the line, making both attempts.
Aquan Smart for the Redhawks made one of two foul shots during SEMO's next possession leaving LU with a 52-51 advantage. Cole stepped up making another two FT before Beane's game-clinching steal.
Lindenwood shot 35.1% on Tuesday while making 17-22 from the line. SEMO shot 43.5% but were forced into 18 turnovers. The Lions also had 14 rebounds and scored 36 points in the paint. It marked the first time Lindenwood has swept SEMO in the regular season.
The Lions will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. CT in Hyland Arena as they take on Western Illinois. For more information, go to lindenwoodlions.com.
