complete game notes in .pdf format
mid-season report (video)
Storyline
Lindenwood has its final two non-conference games of the regular season this weekend when it competes against two Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) programs at the Tabor Classic. The Lions face the host school on New Year's Day, followed by a contest versus Sterling on Saturday.
Both KCAC teams are under .500 for the season, as Tabor enters the tournament with a 4-7 mark, and Sterling is 3-9 on the year. Lindenwood faced both teams last year at the Sterling Tournament and came away with double-figure victories over both squads.
Lindenwood is anxious to get back on the court after a three-week layoff following its first conference loss of the season. Despite that loss, the Lions have had a great start to the season, going 8-3 overall, including three victories over nationally-ranked teams and being ranked as high as sixth in the NAIA poll.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood started its HAAC campaign with a 2-1 record. The Lions went on the road and defeated Culver-Stockton and Baker, but fell at home to Evangel.
Lindenwood won its conference opener by an 84-53 victory over Culver-Stockton. The Lions shot 57.7 percent from the field, including 12-of-20 from three-point range, and forced 20 turnovers on the defensive side. The team had a balanced scoring effort, led by Brandon Kunkel with 15.
The Lions had another strong defensive effort in a 70-57 win over Baker. Lindenwood dominated inside, outrebounding Baker 40-26 and working its way to 22 more free throw attempts. Richard Rose led the team with 14 points, one more than Kunkel.
Lindenwood led for much of the Evangel contest but couldn't pull away, allowing the Crusaders to come back in a in a 70-67 Lindenwood loss. The Lions only shot three-of-16 from beyond the arc. Toriano Adams led Lindenwood with 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Rose had a team-high 14 points.
Defense Wins Games
Seventy is the magic number for the Lindenwood defense. The team is 6-0 this season when allowing less than that mark, and just 2-3 when allowing 70 or more points.
Over the team's last six games, it is allowing just 59.0 points a game.
Top Of The HAAC
Lindenwood's offense leads the HAAC with 74.7 points a game. The Lions do not have an individual scorer in the top five among the HAAC leaders, but have a balanced attack with four players averaging double-figure points. Richard Rose leads the team with 16.7 points a game, followed by Toriano Adams with 12.6 points a game. Joey Parker and Brandon Kunkel also average over 10 points a contest.
Hitting The Boards
Over the last six games, Lindenwood has outrebounded its opponent five times and it has a +12.3 rebounding margin. In four of those games, the Lions have won the rebounding battle by at least 14 boards.
Free Throw Shooting
The Lions are second in the HAAC and 11th in the NAIA with a .728 free throw percentage. Richard Rose leads the team at the charity stripe, making a team-high 62 and having a .838 percentage.
Free Throw Shooting II
Lindenwood is at its best when its gets to the free throw line often during a game. In the team's eight victories, the Lions are averaging over 30 attempts. In the three losses, it is averaging just 15.3 attempts. The team is 8-0 when going to the free throw 21 times or more in a game.
Kunkel From Long Range
Brandon Kunkel ranks among the top ten in the nation in three-point percentage, making 49.0 percent of his attempts. He is averaging 2.3 makes per game.
Over the last four games, Kunkel has made 13 three-pointers and is shooting 61.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Top Ten Rebounder
Toriano Adams ranks eighth in the NAIA Division I in both rebounding and double-doubles. He is averaging 12.6 points and 10.6 rebounds a game, and has double-doubles in seven of 11 games.
In Lindenwood's most recent contest, Adams pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds against Evangel.
Consistent Scoring
Richard Rose has scored in double figures in every game this season but one. He has led Lindenwood in points in seven of the team's 11 contests.
Big Debut
The tallest player in the HAAC, Brett Thompson, made his season debut against Evangel. He finished with nine points, five rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes. Thompson improved as the game went along, with five points, four rebounds and all three blocks coming in the second half.
Last Meeting
Lindenwood swept Sterling and Tabor last year at the Sterling Tournament.
Against Tabor, Andre' Dickson scored 25 points in an 86-67 Lindenwood victory. Toriano Adams had a double-double and Brandon Kunkel scored 13 points.
Versus Sterling, the Lions handed the Warriors their first loss of the season by an 80-62 margin. Lindenwood held Sterling to 35.3 percent shooting. Richard Rose had 18 points and Shane Williams had a team-high 12 rebounds.
Scouting Tabor
Tabor started the 2009-10 season with a 1-5 record, but has won three out of its last five to improve to 4-7. The Bluejays have not been in action since Dec. 12 when they defeated Ottawa 78-67.
Tabor is averaging 73.8 points a game and is allowing 75.9 a contest. Its top strength is three-point defense, as opponents are shooting just 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Damon Dechant leads the team with 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds a game, and he is shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Kyle Kroeker is the team's top outside threat, as he also averages over 15 points a game. Dann Hann is the team's third double-figure scorer.
Head coach of Tabor is Micah Ratzlaff. The former Tabor All-American is in his third season as head coach at the school, where he has won 33 games. Last season, the Bluejays finished fourth in the KCAC.
Scouting Sterling
Sterling has lost four out of its last five games and has fallen to 3-9 on the season. The most recent loss was last Tuesday by a 76-69 score to Oklahoma Christian, the number four NAIA team at the Division I level.
Zach Goodrich leads the team in almost every statistical category. Prior to the Oklahoma Christian game, he was averaging 16.4 points a game, and had collected 31 three-pointers, 55 assists and 30 steals. The top rebounder is Matthew Bartlett with 7.2 boards a game and Randy July is second in scoring with 11.8 points a game.
Head coach of Sterling is Dean Jaderston, who is in his fourth season in that position. Last year, he led Sterling to the KCAC regular season title and a spot in the Division II National Tournament.
Versus KCAC
Lindenwood is 4-1 since 2007 against KCAC programs, with wins over Sterling, Tabor, McPherson and Ottawa, and a loss to Bethel.
In those games, the Lions are averaging 82.8 points a game and are outscoring those opponents by 11.2 points a game.
Up Next
Lindenwood resumes conference play next week with a road game at Missouri Valley on Jan. 7 and a home game versus Graceland on Jan. 9.
