complete game notes attached in .pdf format
Storyline
Lindenwood survived its tough first week slate with just one loss, and now looks to build on two straight victories over No. 1 Robert Morris and No. 23 Life.
The Lions will travel to Huntington, Ind. this weekend for the Huntington Classic. Lindenwood will take on William Penn on Friday evening, and either the host school or Trinity International on Saturday.
William Penn and Huntington are both undefeated on the season, while Trinity International is 2-3.
Next Tuesday, Lindenwood returns to the Hyland Performance Arena for a 7:30 p.m. game against local rival Missouri Baptist. The Spartans are currently 1-2 on their young season.
Last Week's Recap
Lindenwood opened the season against three ranked opponents in a four day span.
In the team's opener, No. 5 McKendree opened the second half on a 12-0 run which was the difference in a 73-62 Lindenwood loss. Richard Rose had 17 points and Toriano Adams added a double-double.
Last Friday, Lindenwood gave Brad Soderberg his first win as Lions head coach in a 68-66 win over Robert Morris. Rose won the game with two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining.
The next night, the Lions offense exploded in a 95-79 win over Life. Rose had a career-high 37, and Joey Parker, Brandon Kunkel and Adams each scored in double-figures.
Rose's Strong Start
Richard Rose was named the HAAC Player of the Week after averaging 26.3 points a game last week. He shot 46.7 percent from the field and 82.5 percent from the free throw line, and collected four three-pointers, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
High Scoring Game
Richard Rose had one of the most explosive games by a Lion with his 37 points against Life. That was the most points a Lion has scored in a game since Justin Shrake scored 40 against Avila on Jan. 5, 2004.
One More Rose
Many of Richard Rose's points came from getting to the free throw line. He averaged over 13 attempts a game last week, and made an average of 11.
As a team, Lindenwood shot over 80 percent from the free throw line, which is currently the second-best mark in the NAIA.
Double-Double
Toriano Adams started his senior season with two double-doubles in three games. He had 12 points and 10 boards against McKendree, and 10 points and 12 rebounds versus Life.
Last season, Adams was fifth in the country with 13 double-doubles.
Defensive Effort
Lindenwood's first three opponents this year averaged 84.4 points a game and shot 47.6 percent from the field in 2008-09. The Lions held the trio to just 72.7 points and a 43.3 percent field goal percentage.
Perfect Parker
Joey Parker had a perfect shooting night against Life, making one two-pointer, one three-pointer, and all 10 free throw attempts.
Lindenwood's new point guard collected 12 assists and four steals last week, and had a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Three-Point Shooter
Brandon Kunkel started hot from beyond the arc, giving the Lions a long distance threat. He made his lone three-point attempt against McKendree and hit half of his 12 shots in the Lion Pride Classic, including four versus Life.
Quick Start
Lindenwood has looked better in the first half than the second so far this season, especially in the McKendree and Robert Morris contests.
In the first-half, Lindenwood is outscoring its opposition by three points a game, but are being otuscored in the second-half. In the first two games, the Lions were outscored by 7.5 points a game in the final 20 minutes.
Hyland Performance Arena
Lindenwood is looking to restore its home court advantage after being better away from the Hyland Performance Arena than in its home arena in 2008-09.
The Lions are off to a good start with two wins over nationally-ranked teams in its first home games of the season.
Over the last three years, Lindenwood is just 22-19 (.537) at home, compared to a 27-26 (.509) mark at away and neutral sites.
Scouting William Penn
William Penn, which is receiving votes in the NAIA Division II national ranking, is 5-0 behind a high scoring team that is averaging 93.8 points a game.
Nine different players are averaging at least five points a game, including four in double figures. Kris Miller leads the way with 18.2 points a game, including 14 three-pointers on the year. Caleb Stout is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds a game and Blake Sandquist is dishing out over five assists a game.
John Henry is in his ninth season as head coach at William Penn and has an all-time coaching record of 153-112.
Scouting Huntington
Huntington is off to a 2-0 start with wins over Indiana IT and Madonna. The Foresters have gotten the job done defensively in its start, allowing just 55.5 points a game and having a +8.5 rebounding margin.
Kellen Zawadzki leads the team with 15.0 points a game and is one of four starters averaging double-figures. All five starters are averaging at least five rebounds, led by Kevin Kyle with 9.0 a game.
Head coach is Ty Platt, who is in his second season. Last year, he led Huntington to a 20-12 record.
Scouting Trinity International
Trinity International is 2-3 on the season, with both victories coming after scoring 100 and 97 points. One of the losses was a 10-point setback against McKendree. The Trojans are averaging over 10 three-pointers a game, but have allowed the opposition to shoot 50 percent from the field.
The scoring quartet of Danny Kirst, Patrick Atkins, Tyrone Smith, and Ignas Verbus are combining for over 80 percent of the team's scoring.
Head coach is Andy Euler, who is in his second season at Trinity International.
Scouting Missouri Baptist
Missouri Baptist recently broke into the win column for the first time in three games with a 96-73 victory over Logan. The team will compete at the Rogers State Classic this weekend before facing the Lions.
The Spartans are led by Brandon Roberson who is averaging over 20 points a game, and also leads his squad in rebounding.
Missouri Baptist is led by Ray Farrell, who is in his third year at Missouri Baptist.
Up Next
Lindenwood is off until after Thanksgiving when it competes in the Columbia Tournament, taking on Hannibal-LaGrange and the No. 19 host school.
