HENDERSON — The No. 1 Freed-Hardeman University Lions pushed their win total for the 2025-26 campaign to 30 wins with no signs of slowing down as FHU took down the 16-seed Governors State (Ill.) University Jaguars in the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship First Round with a 92-68 win.
The Freed-Hardeman (30-1) defense was on full display with the Lions forcing three turnovers in the first three minutes of the contest. As the top seed of the Bramblett Group Henderson Regional, FHU leaned on
Phil Horton to score the first seven points of the game with a dunk to open followed immediately by a 3-pointer.
Rodney Henderson's fast-break layup at 15:32 opened a 9-0 run for the Lions that ended with
Cam Hudson's basket putting FHU ahead 19-7. It was
Lane Lauderbaugh's game down the streak, with the senior scoring six points in one minute to push FHU's lead to 16.
Caleb Thomas added a 3-pointer before Lauderbaugh sank a triple in the final two minutes of the half.
Rico Sain's layup gave the Lions a 50-27 lead at intermission.
The Lions continued to make life difficult for the Jaguars (22-10) in the second half defensively, forcing as many as six straight missed shots. On the other end of the floor,
DJ McIntyre joined in with a 3-pointer to give FHU their largest lead of the night at 28 points. To their credit, Governors State was consistent at the charity stripe in the second half, making 15 of their 18 free throw attempts. Lauderbaugh had a layup at 4:40 before
Aidan Farber's 3-pointer in 1:33 set off the celebration in earnest for the 92-68 victory.
FHU forced 22 Jaguar turnovers in the win, converting those to 28 points. FHU dominated at the glass with 41 boards to GSU's 27.
Lane Lauderbaugh led the charge with a game-high 25 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds to earn a tournament double-double.
Phil Horton was hot on his heels with 16 points.
Rico Sain helped defensively with four steals.
Up Next
The Lions will fight to make it four straight trips to Kansas City and the round of 16, but standing in their way are the No. 9 seed Threshers of Bethel (Kan.) College. Tipoff from the Brewer Sports Center is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
