Futrell Leads Lindenwood Past to Victory Over Tennessee State

Game Summary

ST. CHARLES, Mo – The Lindenwood Lions men’s basketball team picked up their second Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) win over the Tennessee State Tigers on Thursday night in Hyland Arena by a score of 72-62, snapping their two-game losing streak.

Anias Futrell had a monster night for the Lions, notching a double-double with 24 points (tied season-best) and 10 rebounds, the team-high in both categories. Nathan Johnson Jr. scored 11 points (3-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-4 FT) and added seven rebounds.

For the Tigers, 3 starters managed to crack double figures in terms of scoring, and three players (Travis Harper II, Brandon Weston, and Josh Ogundele) were tied for team-high scoring at 14 points. Harper II managed to make 3 out of his 8 three-point attempts and added six rebounds, while Ogundele went 6-8 from the floor and added 8 rebounds.

Both teams had a rough offensive night. Lindenwood shot 38.7% from the floor while going 6-18 from behind the arc, while Tennessee State shot 39% on field goal attempts and only made 3 of their 22 three-point tries (13.6%). No team had a big margin in rebounds, as Tennessee State managed 43 while Lindenwood had 39 rebounds off the glass. Lindenwood had a 22-15 advantage in points off turnovers due to Tennessee State’s 19 turnovers throughout the game (Lindenwood had 11).

First Half

Lindenwood had a very slow start to the game, as the Lions started the game shooting 1-10 from the field and 0-3 from three-point range, even with a ferocious dunk by Anias Futrell over Aaron Nkrumah. At 12:25 left in the first quarter, the Lions were down 16-5. LU shot under 30.0% from the field in the first 20 minutes of the game, but held TSU to 2-12 shooting from beyond the arc. The majority of Tennessee State’s offensive in the first half came through inside baskets, but the Lions were able to end the half on a 5-0 to cut the double-digit lead down to 5 for the Tigers at 34-29.

Second Half

After the half, Lindenwood got out of the gates quick, going on a 17-0 run. Nathan Johnson Jr. converted two free-throws to give Lindenwood their first lead of the game early in the second half. Tennessee State fought back to cut the lead down to 2 with 14 minutes left, but Lindenwood responded, bringing their lead to 11 with 9:47 left in the game. Lindenwood’s offense provided them enough power to keep their lead at 5 points with 1:27 left in the game. Futrell made a clutch steal inside the last minute of the game, and went on to knock down crucial free throws that sealed the win for the Lions at a score of 72-62. Lindenwood ultimately shot 50% on field goals as well as three-pointers in the second half, in contrast to Tennessee State going 11-27 from the field and only 1-10 from behind the arc.

Lindenwood faces the UT Martin Skyhawks (6-10, 3-2 OVC) on Sunday, January 11 at Hyland Arena at 3:30 PM. The Lions hope to take advantage of UT Martin’s 3-7 away record. Tennessee State travels to Macomb, IL to play Western Illinois University (8-8, 2-3 OVC) on Saturday.

To view the other photos I took at this game, head to my gallery.