Matt Barker, Sports Information Director

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - For the second time this season, FHU Senior Guard Sandrea Sylman tallied 29 points, as the Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion Basketball team opened conference play with a 91-66 victory over No. 25 Lindenwood University-Belleville on the road in Belleville, Ill.

Sylman led all scorers in the game with her 29 point performance, as she shot 12-for-13 from the field and a perfect 1-for-1 from behind the arc. Three other Lady Lion players reached double digits on the attack including Freshman Chynia Brooks, who fired in 16 points.

Carrie Hatchel followed close behind with 15 points of her own while Haylee Croom rounded out the FHU scoring leaders with 13 points. Freshman Amaria Pugh led the Lady Lions on the glass with nine rebounds in the win.

The Lady Lions (4-0), 1-0 AMC) shot an impressive 51 percent from the field in the game, which included a light's out 62 percent shooting performance in the first half to give FHU all the momentum early on. Lindenwood-Belleville (0-4, 0-1 AMC) shot 37 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc in the loss.

Similar to the first three games of the season, the Lady Lions continued to display their relentless defense, as they forced 20 turnovers and snagged seven steals, led by Brooks and Croom, who each tallied two steals apiece in the win.

FHU dominated the game from the opening tip, as they limited Lindenwood-Belleville to just 13 points in the first quarter to take a comfortable 30-13 lead in the early going. From there, the Lady Lions kept their foot on the gas pedal and held the Lynx to just 16 points in the second quarter to take a 51-29 lead entering the break.

The momentum continued for the Lady Lions in the second half, as they reached their largest lead of the game at the 54-87 mark with 3:53 remaining in regulation on their way to a 91-66 victory.

With the win, the Lady Lions improve to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. Lindenwood-Belleville falls to 0-4 on the season and 0-1 in AMC play with the loss.

UP NEXT: The Lady Lions are back in action Saturday, November 17th, as they take on Harris-Stowe State University for a 1:00 PM match-up in St. Louis, Mo.

For all the latest information regarding the FHU Women's Basketball team, be sure to follow FHU Athletics on all our social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all @gofhulions