ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood Men's Basketball picked up their first win of the 2025-26 season on Thursday night, defeating UHSP by a final score of 116-51. Six different Lions scored in double figures and all 11 guys scored in the 65 point win over the Eutectics inside Hyland Arena.
Lindenwood opened the first half on an 18-4 run highlighted by four three pointers with two of those coming off the fingertips of
Mekhi Cooper, who also added two assists during the Lion's run.
Clayton Jackson added four assists of his own during the first four minutes of action as the Lions recorded six assists on their first seven made field goals of the game.
Anias Futrell and
Jadis Jones both made their season debuts tonight and immediately made their presence known. The duo combined for 12 points following the 18-4 run to extend Lindenwood's lead to 30-8 with 13:24 to go in the first half. Futrell knocked down his first three three point attempts to start his season, while Jones converted on his first three field goals of the season on two layups and a jumper in the paint. Later in the half,
Milos Nenadic scored nine straight points for the Black and Gold, including a fast break and-one, as Lindenwood took a commanding 62-24 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Lions were firing from all cylinders going 21-33 from the field and knocking down five three pointers out of 10 attempts in the half.
Jeremiah Talton led the Lions with two threes in the last 20 minutes of play, while
Tidiane d'Almeida,
William Campbell, and
Clayton Jackson each added a three of their own.
Robert Lewis led the Lions with a game-high 19 points on 9-10 shooting and finished with a game-high 8 rebounds, while
Anias Futrell ended the game with 18 points knocking down seven of his 11 field goal attempts.
Milos Nenadic had 17 points on 8-12 shooting, followed closely by
Jadis Jones who ended with 16 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field.
The Lions have started the season with four different players recording double-doubles as
Mekhi Cooper and
Clayton Jackson picked up their first career double-doubles in the victory tonight. Cooper had 10 points on 3-5 shooting and added 10 assists, while Jackson dished out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 13 points.
"It was good to get some guys back healthy tonight." said Head coach
Kyle Gerdeman. "Getting Jadis and Anias back is really positive for our team and overall it feels good to get the first win and now we can move on to the next practice and keep trying to get better."
The Lions will hit the road on Monday night as they will travel up the road to take on Saint Louis. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
