Lindenwood, a fellow D-II Independent, completed the season sweep of Urbana, improving to 23-2 overall and 10-1 at home with the win. Lindenwood clipped the Blue Knights by 21 back on November 30th in Urbana. On Saturday, the Blue Knights fared much better.
With 4 minutes to play, Urbana completed a 13-point comeback. Sharif Muhammad Jr. scored on a drive to the hoop to cap a 17-4 run, but the Lions immediately answered with a 9-0 run to put the contest out of reach.
Despite the loss, Urbana put four players in double figures, led by senior guard Marcus Pearl's 17. Muhammad Jr. finished with 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting. Dyrell Dolson recorded a double-double, finishing with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Josh Brown added 10 in the loss.
Lindenwood was led by Alex Bazzell's game-high 27 points. The Lions haven’t lost in 4 weeks. They’ve won 8 straight games, and a pair of overtime losses are the only thing standing between them and perfection this season.
With the loss, Urbana falls to 5-16. Just a year ago, the Blue Knights were 4-17 before ending the year on a 5-game winning streak. On Tuesday, the Blue Knights return home to host Central State. The Marauders dealt Urbana a 75-59 loss in Wilberforce three days ago. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in UU’s Grimes Center Gymnasium.
