The Lions fell to Indiana in their first game of the Puerto Rico Classic. The Lions turned out to be a lot for the Hosiers to handle, but ultimately fell short in a game that ended 67-43. The Lions are now 7-3 on the season.  

The Lions were able to keep up with the Hoosiers in a low scoring first quarter. The Lions put up the first four points of the game, but a 7-0 run form Indiana soon put them in the lead. LMU responded with a 6 point run to put themselves back on top. Both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the first, with the Hoosiers giving up 7 turnovers in the quarter and LMU giving up 6. Raychel Stanley led the Lions in points in Q1, scoring 6. The first quarter ended in a draw with each team at 12. 

Indiana pulled away in the second with a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The Lions were only able to put up 8 points in Q2 as Indiana extended their lead to as high as 12 points. A 3-pointer and long 2 from Bree Alford ended a 9-0 run by Indiana and brought their lead back to single digits. Brittney Reed scored a mid-range jumper as the horn sounded to end the quarter, putting the halftime score at 29-21 with Indiana in the lead. 

LMU got off to a quick start in the third quarter, scoring 10 of the first 14 points in the third. Andee Velasco scored 6 of those 10, cutting Indiana's lead to just 2 points early on in the half. The Lions were unable to close this deficit, however, and Indiana was able to regain a strong lead, ending the quarter ahead by 12.

The Lions continued to battle in the fourth quarter, but were unable to hand Indiana their first loss of the season. The match ended with a score of 67-43.  

The game, which occurred on a neutral court, was a scrappy matchup characterized by a significant amount of turnovers and fouls from both teams. Despite their loss, the Lions battled throughout the entirety of the game and were a competitive matchup for the undefeated Hosiers. For one, the Lions out rebounded and out shot Indiana throughout the game. LMU also has some great performances from players such as Jasmine Jones (9 points, 8 rebounds), Alford (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and Stanley (8 points, 2 rebounds) whom Head Coach Charity Elliott says "continues to work her way back into a really good place." Coach Elliott commended Indiana as "a great basketball team" and believes the Lions can "learn a lot from this game." 

Next up, the Lions face South Dakota for their second game of the Puerto Rico Classic. The match will occur tomorrow, Dec. 20, at 1 p.m.