ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Lindenwood clinched the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament and left Harding fighting for its postseason life with a 5-0 victory over the Bisons on Thursday in conference action.

The Bisons (4-8-3, 4-6-1) take on Upper Iowa on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Fayette, Iowa, with the final MIAA Tournament berth on the line. A Harding victory would tie the teams with 16 points, both with five wins and one tie in conference play. The simplest way for Harding to win the tiebreaker and earn the tournament spot is to win the game by at least two goals.

Lindenwood (8-6-3, 6-4-1) needed a victory over Harding to clinch its tournament berth. The Lions scored the eventual game-winning goal just over five minutes into the game. Alfredo Paez scored the first of his two goals to give Lindenwood the lead. Mitchell Hunt doubled the Lions advantage in the 24th minute, and Paez scored again in the 38th minute.

The Lions added two more goals in the second half. Hunt scored again in the 75th minute, and Steven Hutchison finished the scoring in the 79th minute.

Harding managed just three shots, its first coming from Barry Foster in the 60th minute.