[Men's Basketball] Kansas City Shuffle as Lions shut down potent Dordt offense

Story Courtesy of Freed-Hardeman Sports Information

HENDERSON, Tenn. — Entering the game against one of the top-scoring teams in the country, the No. 21 Freed-Hardeman University Lions leaned on their defense to punch their ticket to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament Round of 16 by topping the (RV) Dordt (Iowa) University Defenders. FHU emerged victorious with a 65-53 final, despite the Defenders averaging 90.9 points per game.

An early start by the Defenders was quickly erased when Freed-Hardeman's (25-8) Dawson Bailey first connected for a mid-range jumper before knocking down a 3-pointer to give FHU a lead. Dordt's Cade Bleeker answered with a triple of his own before Hunter Scurlock tallied four consecutive points. Geraldo Lane's jumper was followed by JaQuan Lax's steal and score to continue to inch the Lion lead ahead, now 13-9 with 13:52 remaining in the half. A layup from Jackson Louscher drew the Defenders within one possession, but the Lions exploded with a 14-point unanswered run across four minutes including back-to-back fast break buckets from Scurlock and Peyton Law. A 3-pointer from Law gave Freed-Hardeman their largest lead of the half at 18 with 4:05 remaining. Dordt would chip away at the lead before the buzzer sounded for a 34-23 halftime break in favor of the hosting Lions.