HANCOCK — A strong second half was not enough as the Finlandia men’s basketball team (0-1) lost 84-65 to Lakeland (1-0), Wednesday night at Wolzen Gymnasium.

Lakeland went on a 17-6 run in the first five minutes of the game. Finlandia got their bearings and scored seven straight points. Junior Ricky Watson hit a bucket to make it 17-13 at the 12:23 mark.

The Muskies built the lead back to 10, 23-13 with 11:03 left. Freshman Tristan Johnson hit a long-range bomb to get the Lions off and running. Freshman Dylan Underwood hit a pair of free throws to make it 23-21.

For Finlandia, junior Brandon Robinette had 19 points and 13 rebounds, freshman Myles Ellington had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Johnson finished with nine points, all 3s. Junior Austin Carlson blocked three shots.

Finlandia returns to the Paavo Nurmi Center, Saturday, taking on Millikin. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.