OMAHA, Neb. – The Freed-Hardeman Lions faced the Marian University Knights in the first round of the NAIA Men's National Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Lions were unable to maintain their halftime lead and fell to the Knights by a final score of 66-64. Marian (Ind.) finished the regular season ranked number 12 in the nation and earned a four seed in the tournament.

The Lions played with maximum effort throughout the game. During the first half, this intense effort kept them in the lead for most of the half. The Lions were stifling the Knights on the defensive side of the ball and a Geraldo Lane layup with 4:32 left in the first half gave the Lions a 27-18 lead. The Lions missed a few opportunities to pull away from the Knights and the lead shrank, however, Wanya King nailed a huge three-pointer right before halftime to push the Lions to a 34-29 halftime lead. Kortland Martin had 7 first-half points to help the offense.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair. Neither team led by more than 5 from the 12-minute mark on. The Lions trailed the Knights by 3, 59-56, when Kortland Martin hit an and-one layup to tie the game at 59 with three minutes remaining. The Lions defensive intensity down the stretch kept them in it when the shots were not falling, unfortunately they could not get enough shots to fall to get the win. FHU had a chance to tie or win the game with four seconds left, but a turnover didn't allow them to get a shot off and they fell 66-64.

Wanya King led the Lions offensively with 16 points including four makes from behind the arc. Kortland Martin and Ryley McClaran both finished the game with 10 points.

The Lions season ends with a 19-13 overall record and a National Tournament appearance. Kortland Martin, Wanya King, Jeremiah Alexander, Silas Clark, and Francis Agbata are all seniors for the Lions and have enjoyed great careers in the Maroon and White.