complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
Lindenwood opens up conference play with a trio of games. The Lions will face Culver-Stockton on Thursday and square off against Baker on Saturday. The team will conclude its pre-Christmas schedule hosting Evangel next Thursday.
The Lions raced out to a 5-0 start in conference play last year, defeating the same three teams during that stretch. However, Lindenwood stumbled through the rest of league play, winning six of its final 15 games, costing the team a shot at an automatic bid to the NAIA tournament.
Lindenwood earned its first road victory in its last outing and will look to build upon that with a pair of road games to begin league play. The Lions were 6-4 on the road last year in the HAAC.
Last Week's Recap
Lindenwood went 2-0 at the Best Western Classic over Thanksgiving weekend to conclude the main portion of its non-conference schedule.
The Lions opened up the tournament with 69-61 overtime win against Hannibal-LaGrange. Toriano Adams had a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. Richard Rose had 14 points and Joey Parker added 11. David King, who scored eight points, had four in overtime and Alfred Nelson hit a key three-pointer to propel the Lions to victory.
The next night, Lindenwood dominated the host school, No. 19 Columbia College, 77-48. The win marked the third victory over a ranked opponent on the season.
The Lions, who led 38-17 at half, shot over 50 percent from the field including hitting seven three-pointers. Lindenwood also held the edge inside, outrebounding the Cougars by a 46-29 margin.
Brandon Kunkel had 21 points and shot seven-of-eight from the field. Adams recorded his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and nabbing 11 rebounds. Both Adams and Kunkel were named to the All-Tournament team.
Lockdown "D"
Defense has keyed Lindenwood's recent three-game winning streak. In that span, Lindenwood is holding its opponents to just 58 points a game and holding them to 39.1 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent shooting from three-point range.
The first-half has been the difference. Lindenwood has outscored its opponents 101-65 in the opening 20 minutes over the last three games and is holding teams to shooting 31 percent from the field. On the year, the Lions have outscored their opponents by 35 points in the first half.
Three-Point Shooting
Lindenwood hit seven-of-11 three-pointers against Columbia. It was the third time this year in which the Lions have totaled seven or more made three-point shots. In those games, Lindenwood is 2-1. Brandon Kunkel is the team's top threat, hitting 47 percent of his attempts.
Balanced Offense
The Lions had seven players score six or more points versus Columbia and five hit that mark against Hannibal-LaGrange.
Sharp Shooter
Brandon Kunkel had a career-best 21 points in the victory against Columbia College. The sophomore connected on five-of-six three-pointers and was seven-of-eight from the field overall. Kunkel is the team's leading scorer off the bench, averaging 9.4 points per game. The game marked the third time this year he has tallied double-digit points. The five made three-pointers also ties a personal best.
Dominating The Paint
Toriano Adams has been a dominant force inside for the Lions. He has six double-doubles in eight games and is averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds for the season. Adams is making 64.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 74 percent of his free throws. During the current three game winning streak, twice the Lions have had a rebounding advantage of +17 or more.
Highway Robbery
Against Hannibal-LaGrange, the Lions recorded a season-high 10 steals. Four different players had two or more, led by Richard Rose's three. On the year, Lindenwood is averaging six swipes per game. Toriano Adams, Joey Parker and Rose each average more than one steal per game.
Close Calls
Lindenwood is 4-0 this year in games being decided by ten points or less, including two overtime victories and one two-point win. Last season, the Lions were 9-7 in games decided by 10 or less, including 4-3 in contests that were decided by four points or fewer.
Last Meeting
Lindenwood went 2-0 against Culver-Stockton last year, including a 72-69 overtime win in Canton, Mo. The Lions split the series with Baker, with the road team winning each time. Lindenwood posted a 2-1 record against Evangel, including an 82-75 upset in the opening round of the conference tournament.
Scouting Culver-Stockton
Culver-Stockton is 1-4 on the year and has dropped three straight decisions, the latest a 56-43 loss to Columbia College 11 days ago.
Over the last three games, Culver-Stockton is limiting teams to just 69.7 points per game. On the year, opponents are shooting only 37 percent from behind the three-point line against the Wildcats.
Guard Phil Peugh is the leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
John Windham is in his second season as head coach at Culver-Stockton.
Scouting Baker
Baker is 6-3 on the season but lost its opening HAAC game to Evangel, 72-48.
The Wildcats are averaging 85 points per game in their six wins and eclipsed the 100 point mark in a 104-94 win against Tabor College. The team ranks fourth in the nation in free-throw shooting, hitting 76 percent of its attempts, and eighth in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 44 percent of its tries.
Andre Strozier leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Malcom Greer and Austin Bond average double-digit points and four others average 6.9 points or more per contest.
Rick Weaver is in his 25th season as head coach at Baker where he has won a total of 352 games.
Scouting Evangel
Evangel went 4-4 in the non-conference portion of its schedule, highlighted by an upset win over preseason No. 10 Texas Wesleyan.
As expected, Evangel is one of the better scoring teams in the HAAC, averaging 73 points per game. Defensively, the Crusaders are allowing opponents to shoot just 25 percent from behind the three-point line which ranks in the Top 10 in the nation.
Spud Harbour leads the team in scoring and assists, averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 assists per contest. Mike Story and Chad Gillaspy both average better than 12 points and eight rebounds per game.
Steve Jenkins is in his 28th year as head coach at Evangel and he is just four wins shy of 500.
Up Next
Lindenwood will participate in the Tabor Classic over the holiday break. The Lions will play the host school on Jan. 1 and will compete against Sterling the following day.
