Men's Basketball Drop Season Opener at Benedictine-Springfield

[November 01, 2014]  LINCOLN - Lincoln Christian University (LCU) men's basketball traveled down to Springfield, Illinois on Thursday night to open their season at Benedictine University of Springfield (BU). It was not the Red Lions night however as the BU Bulldogs made fewer mistakes and better shots, ultimately winning the night 86-55.

This looked like it was going to be a much better game throughout the first 13 minutes as Lincoln and Benedictine traded the lead, neither trailing by more than two buckets. But with 7 minutes left in the first half, the wheels begin to fall off on Lincoln's offense, as they failed to match the pace of the Bulldogs. The Red Lions scored only four more points as Benedictine pulled out to a 16 point lead by the break.

LCU Head Coach Mac Ingmire tried to make adjustments with his guys for the second half that seemed to stop the bleeding for the first few minutes as Lincoln closed the gap to 12 points. Benedictine however turned up the pressure and began to work on it's lead that it would build gradually through the rest of the game. BU's final lead of 31 points was the largest margin in the game as Lincoln failed to make shot after shot trying to close the gap.

Michael Fisher (FR/Lyons, IN) led the Red Lions offense with 18 points, all from outside the arc, followed by Jimmy Smylie (SO/Springfield, IL) and Drew Stribling (FR/Atlanta, IL), each with 11. Smylie also led all rebounders with 10. LCU hosts Central Christian College of the Bible on Monday, Nov. 4 for their home opener.

LCU’s School of Undergraduate Studies is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Founded in Lincoln, Illinois, in 1944, Lincoln Christian University’s three schools – the School of Undergraduate Studies, the Hargrove School of Adult & Graduate Studies and the Seminary – share a mission to nurture and equip Christians with a Biblical worldview to serve and lead in the church and the world. For more information about the Red Lions visit LincolnChristian.edu/athletics.

[Todd Spellman, Lincoln Christian University]