The Lindenwood men's basketball team chose to look on the bright side following a heart-breaking 76-74 overtime loss to Evangel College on Thursday night, Feb. 3.
Yes, the Lions suffered only their third setback of the season. And the 10th-ranked team in the nation is now in a three-way tie for first place on the loss side in the ultra-competitive Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC).
But the defeat is not the end of the world for Lindenwood coach Brad Soderberg and his squad.
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In fact, it might help them in the long run.
"We can learn from this," said Lindenwood senior guard Richard Rose, who led the Lions with a season-high 26 points. "This might just make us a better team in the end."
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"Our goals are still reachable," said Soderberg. "We want to win the regular season conference (title) and go from there."
Still, the loss was a tough one to swallow. Lindenwood had a 48-33 lead with 12:45 left in regulation time. The Lions also carried a 65-62 cushion into the final two minutes.
"It's still one we feel like we should have won," said Rose, a graduate of Buchanan High in Troy.
Lindenwood, which has won 19 of its last 21 games, fell to 20-3 overall and 11-2 in HAAC play. Evangel improved to 15-7 and 10-2. William Jewell, with a 10-2 league mark, joins the two teams in a three-way tie for the top spot.
The Lions appeared somewhat sloppy defensively in the second half. Still, they did not give the game away. Evangel, which lost 67-50 to Lindenwood on Dec. 9 in Springfield, earned it with a ferocious comeback on the road in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 1,314 at Robert F. Hyland Arena.
"They deserve the credit as to opposed to us taking the blame," said Soderberg. "They fought their way back into it. They deserved it."
Evangel coach Steven Jenkins said his club simply would not give up.
"We just kept hanging in there," he noted. "We really attacked the paint a lot better in the second half."
Lindenwood had five players in double figures. Brett Thompson, Alex Bazzell and reserve Michael Boos added 11 points each. Kramer Soderberg, Brad's son, chipped in with 10 points. Thompson, at 6-11, pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
Mike Storey led Evangel with 19 points. Chad Gillaspy had 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. Cale Ramsey, who made the game-winning shot, chipped in with 12 points.
Lindenwood looked to be in control midway through the second half. Bazzell and Thompson triggered a 10-0 outburst that pushed the lead to 15.
But Evangel slowly fought its way back. Storey followed a pair of free throws with a short jumper that knotted the score 57-57 with 4:20 left.
The teams traded leads before Ramsey drilled a mid-ranger jumper with 3.9 ticks on the clock to send the game into overtime.
The lead changed hands four times in the extra period. Storey and Rose exchanged a pair of foul shots down the stretch. Rose, who was 9-for-9 at line, tied the game with 13 seconds left.
That set the stage for Ramsey, who calmly popped in a short jumper with 4.1 seconds remaining.
Lindenwood hustled the ball down court. But Bazzell's 3-point attempt from the left wing fell way short as the final buzzer sounded.
Soderberg made sure his team took the loss in stride. No yelling or screaming after the game.
"Coach told us to keep our heads up," said Rose. "And we will."
The Lions look to get back on track on Saturday afternoon at Benedictine in Atchison, KS.