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Storyline
Lindenwood heads to Chicago this week for three contests, including games against the current No. 1 team in the NAIA, and the 2009 NAIA Division I National Champions.
The trip starts on Tuesday with a road contest against East-West. On Friday and Saturday, the Lions will compete in the Robert Morris Holiday Classic. On day one of the event, Lindenwood takes on Rocky Mountain, the 2009 national champion. Saturday, the Lions take on Robert Morris, the current No. 1 team in the national poll.
Lindenwood enters play this week on a seven-game winning streak, tying for the third longest streak in school history. The last victory was one of the biggest of the season. The Lions defeated Evangel by a 67-50 score in a matchup of the two preseason favorites in the HAAC.
Last Week's Result
Lindenwood picked up a key early season conference victory on Thursday night with a 67-50 road victory over Evangel.
Evangel came into the game averaging 77.1 points a contest but the Lions defense frustrated the Crusaders for the majority of the game. Evangel shot just 35.6 percent from the field, including 15.4 percent from three-point range. Alex Bazzell helped the Lions limit Spud Harbour, one of the nation's top scorers, to just eight points.
Lindenwood shot 45.7 percent for the game, including 55 percent in the second half.
Richard Rose led the team with 17 points and Kramer Soderberg had 14. Efkan Eren had 10 points off the bench and Brett Thompson had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
No. 3 vs. No. 3
Saturday's top 15 game between Lindenwood and Robert Morris will feature the No. 3 scoring defense versus the No. 3 scoring offense in NAIA Division I.
The Lions are third nationally by allowing just 60.9 points a game. Robert Morris is third with a scoring average of 93.4 points.
2010-11 Defense
Over the last seven games, Lindenwood is allowing just 55.7 points a game, and have held six of those seven opponents to 60 points or less. In that span, the Lions are allowing opponents to shoot just 38.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range.
Hot Shooting
Lindenwood's offense has been hot from the field lately. The Lions have shot over 45 percent for the last five games. In those contests, the Lions are shooting 47.8 percent from the field and averaging 77.8 points a game.
Vs. Ranked Teams
Lindenwood is 1-1 against nationally-ranked teams this season, with both games coming against top 10 squads.
Under head coach Brad Soderberg, Lindenwood is 6-3 against nationally-ranked squads.
Vs. No. 1
The last time Lindenwood faced the No. 1 team in the NAIA, it came away with a victory. Last season, the Lions took on Robert Morris, the preseason number one, and defeated the Eagles by a 68-66 score.
Double-Figure Scorers
Nine different Lions have scored in double figures for at least one game this season. The latest to join that club was Efkan Eren who came off the bench to score 10 points in the win over Evangel.
Richard Rose has scored 10 or more points in every game but one this season. Kramer Soderberg has been held under 10 points just two times.
Sharp Shooting Starters
Lindenwood's starting five are shooting nearly 50 percent from the field this season, and four of the five are shooting over 50 percent. Brett Thompson leads the team with a 56.6 percentage. Richard Rose has a 52.7 percentage, David King has made 52.5 percent of his shots, and Kramer Soderberg has a 51.0 shooting percentage.
Protecting the Ball
Lindenwood has committed 13 or less turnovers in every game this year but one. The Lions lead the NAIA by turning the ball over just 11.8 times a game.
Lindenwood has had more turnovers than its opponent in just one game this season, its loss to Southern Nazarene.
Winning Streak
The team's current seven-game winning streak ties for the third longest in school history, matching a streak by the 2008-09 squad. The school record is 11 set by the 1977-78 team. Number two on the list is a nine-game winning streak in 2005-06.
HAAC Leaders
Richard Rose leads the HAAC in three-point percentage, and Kramer Soderberg leads the league in free throw percentage.
Scouting the Phantoms
East-West enters play this week with a 4-12 overall record. Last weekend, the squad played in the Robert Morris Classic. The Phantoms lost to Columbia by a 97-65 score, but bounced back to defeat Cincinnati Bible College.
Head coach of East-West is Michael Lang, who is 85-85 in six seasons at the school.
Scouting the Bears
In 2009, Rocky Mountain became the sixth unseeded team to win the NAIA Division I National Championship. Since then, the Battlin' Bears have gone just 18-25, including a 6-6 mark this season.
Rocky Mountain opened the year with three straight wins, but has gone just 3-6 since. Last week, the team fell at home to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Black Hills State.
The Battlin' Bears are averaging 74.8 points a game, and allowing 69.0 points. They are outrebounding teams by over two boards a game, and holding opponents under 40 percent from the field.
Sergio Trocha is the team leader. He is averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, and leads with 20 blocks and 13 steals. Anthony Carter is the scoring leader with 14.7 points, and EJ Ross and Mark Desin also average double-figures.
Head coach of the Battlin' Bears is Bill Dreikosen. He is in his 11th season as the head coach of Rocky Mountain. He has a record of 180-151 at the school.
Scouting the Eagles
Robert Morris has won all 10 games it has played in 2010-11. Four of the wins have been by 10 points or less, including a last second 78-77 win over Montana State-Northern.
The team is averaging over 90 points a game and shooting 51.0 percent from the field. It is allowing 73.7 points a game and outrebounding opponents by over eight rebounds a game.
Reggie Bunch is averaging a double-double with 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds a game. He is shooting 61.6 percent from the field. Diante Watkins leads the team with 18.5 points a game, and Larry Dumas is putting up 16.1 points a contest.
Head coach of Robert Morris is Al Bruehl. Bruehl is in his 14th season at the school.
Last Season
Lindenwood upset Robert Morris last season by a 68-66 score in St. Charles. Richard Rose hit a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Lions the victory.
Rose had a team-high 25 points, and Toriano Adams finished with 20.
Robert Morris, which shot just 43.9 points from the field, was led by Billy Rush with 18 points and Robert Jones with 12.
Up Next
The Lions will be off until Jan. 3 when they return home to face Central Bible.
