Little Rock defeats Lindenwood 74-82

Little Rock Travels to Lindenwood, Comes Away with 8-Point Win

The Hyland Arena was electric on Monday night as the Lindenwood Lions hosted their conference rivals, the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans. The home crowd breathed life into their team, but in the end, it wasn't enough to overcome a determined away squad.

Little Rock won a closely contested game, 82-74, behind a balanced performance from its starters and bench players. The visiting Trojans came out strong in the first half, with their offense firing on all cylinders (43/31) before the break.

In contrast, Lindenwood's home crowd struggled to find rhythm in the early going, but Anias Futrell paced his team with 30 points, hitting 5 of 13 three-point attempts and shooting an impressive 52.4% from the field. Jadis Jones also chipped in with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

The second half saw both teams make adjustments to gain an edge. The Trojans' defense stiffened up, limiting Lindenwood's scoring opportunities while also pushing their own offense to new heights (45/37). Braxton Bayless led the charge with 21 points, grabbing 7 assists and collecting 10 rebounds.

The turning point in this game came when Little Rock took a 14-point lead midway through the second half. The Lions fought back valiantly but could not overcome the deficit.

Advanced statistics show that both teams played well on offense (56.5% eFG for Little Rock, 49.0% eFG for Lindenwood), with neither able to gain a significant advantage.

In the end, it was the Trojans' superior team effort and depth that paid off, as they secured an 8-point victory in conference play. The win puts them one step closer to their ultimate goal of securing a top seed in the tournament.

The loss drops Lindenwood's standings slightly but remains a respectable performance against a tough opponent.

This matchup will go down as an important conference game for both teams and serves as a reminder that there is always more to be gained from these high-stakes games.