ST. CHARLES, Missouri — Lindenwood beat Evansville 62–49 on Saturday for the Lions’ first win of the season and Phil Sayers’ first as head coach.

Violet McNece hit two early 3-pointers and finished with 17 points. Cadence Dykstra added 13 points and eight assists, and Jarius Powers grabbed eight rebounds.

Lindenwood led by two at halftime. The Lions took control in the third quarter, holding Evansville to 20 percent shooting and stretching the lead to 40–30 entering the fourth. Evansville closed to within nine in the final period before Lindenwood pulled away.

The Lions improved to 1–2. They visit No. 7 Louisville on Tuesday, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Central.