The Lindenwood football team (4-6, 3-3 OVC-Big South) suffered a tough 24-21 loss at Western Illinois (3-7, 1-4 OVC-Big South on Saturday in Macomb, Ill.

GAME OVERVIEW
The Lions opened the game with an eight-play 75-yard drive, capped off by a short touchdown pass from Nate Glantz to Jalen Smith, putting Lindenwood up 7-0. Western Illinois missed a short field goal on its first possession, keeping Lindenwood in front with just over six minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Black and Gold kept the offensive momentum and doubled their lead just before the end of the first as Steve Hall found the end zone from six yards out, growing the advantage to 14-0.

WIU got on the board early in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-7. The Leathernecks put another drive together late in the frame, but a big sack from Jacob Waller pushed them out of field goal range and the Lions led by a score at the break.

Both teams traded stops to begin the second half. The Black & Gold regained the two-score lead when Glantz found Rico Bond who hauled in a ball over two defenders, giving the Lions a 21-7 lead. The Leathernecks added a late field goal in the quarter and Lindenwood led 21-10 after three.

In the fourth, Lindenwood had a drive stall just outside the red zone and Western answered with a 10-play, 76-yard drive, cutting the deficit to 21-16. The Leathernecks went for two, but the attempt was broken up by Waller, keeping the Lions in front by five with just over seven minutes to go in the game. After the score, the Lions got a big run from Hall, setting them up in WIU territory. However, the Leathernecks intercepted a pass a few plays later to keep the score 21-16.

Lindenwood followed it up with a stop of its own, but Western took advantage of a muffed punt and grabbed the lead after a score and a two-point conversion 24-21. The Lions got the ball back with under two minutes left, but were unable to score, falling by three.

GAME LEADERS
Steve Hall (21 carries, 148 yards, one touchdown)
Rico Bond (seven catches, 65 yards, one touchdown)
Jaymason Willingham (five tackles, two TFL, one sack)

UP NEXT
The Lions will host Eastern Illinois next Saturday, November 15 for senior day at Hunter Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.