complete game notes in .pdf format

Storyline
The Lindenwood men's basketball team has just one regular season game remaining, but a lot can happen in terms of postseason during the final week. The squad concludes its regular season with a Saturday road contest at William Jewell.

The Lions are currently in fourth-place in the HAAC, but can still finish second or third as William Jewell and Evangel are both just 1/2 game ahead of Lindenwood in the standings.

The second-place finisher receives an automatic bid to the national tournament. The third-place team could also receive an automatic bid to Kansas City, but would need to either win the conference postseason tournament, or have one of the top two seeds win that event. The fourth-place team would have to win the postseason tournament in order to advance to the national tournament.

Earlier this season, Lindenwood dominated in the post on its way to a 72-62 victory over the Cardinals in St. Charles. That victory sparked the Lions late season run in which they have won nine out of their last ten games, including a current six-game winning streak.

Last Week's Results
Lindenwood earned a first-round home game in the conference postseason tournament after two home victories, including one over nationally-ranked Central Methodist.

The Lions defeated Central Methodist by a 65-56 margin. Lindenwood trailed 43-38 midway through the second but the Lions did not miss a field goal for the final 10 minutes of the game. Included in that final stretch was a 13-0 run sparked by back-to-back three-pointers by Joey Parker.

Richard Rose led Lindenwood with 17 points, Parker had 13, and Toriano had 10 points and seven boards.

Lindenwood ended its MidAmerica Nazarene jinx with a 70-58 victory over the Pioneers. For the second straight game, the Lions dominated the final quarter of the game as it turned a 43-43 tie into a 12-point victory.

Rose was the leading scorer again with 19 points, and Adams had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Defense was the main story though, as the Lions held the Pioneers to 18 points below its season average.

20-Win Season
Lindenwood reached 20 wins for the fifth time in school history last week. The Lions have already improved by two wins both overall and in the HAAC.

Second-Half Team
Lindenwood has outscored its opponents in the second half for the last six games. The Lions have a scoring margin of +11.8 per game in the second half in that span. Four times, Lindenwood trailed at halftime but came back for the victory.

Defense Wins Ballgames
Lindenwood has not allowed an opponent to score over 70 points in 24 straight games, including all 19 conference contests. Six times in that span, it has held a team below 50 points, and 11 times the Lions have held opponents under 60.

Lindenwood ranks first in the HAAC in field goal percentage defense and second in scoring defense. The team is eighth in the NAIA in scoring defense and 15th in field goal percentage defense.

Rebounding Advantage
Lindenwood has won the rebounding battle for 11 straight games. Its rebounding margin during that span is +10.4.

On the season, the Lions are eighth in the nation and first in the HAAC with a +8.1 rebounding margin.

Lindenwood "O"
Lindenwood is 12-0 when scoring 70 or more points, and 14-0 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field.

Over the team's current six-game winning streak, the team is shooting 48.6 percent from the field.

First Half Vs. Second
Lindenwood went just 5-5 during the first half of the HAAC season, but has gone 8-1 in the second half.

The turnover has largely been due to the team's defense. In the first half, the Lions allowed 62.9 points a game and opponents were shooting 43.1 percent from the field. Over the last nine games, Lindenwood has a 55.1 scoring defense and has held opposing teams to 38.6 percent shooting from the field.

Offensively in the second half of the HAAC season, Lindenwood is scoring 2.2 points more a game, but has a much higher percentage. The Lions shot 43.8 percent for the first 10 games but has shot 47.2 percent since. Lindenwood has also shot fewer three-pointers and more free throws as it has been working the ball inside more.

Returning Stars Step Up
Lindenwood's top two returning players, Toriano Adams and Richard Rose, have stepped up lately to get Lindenwood back in the postseason talk.

Over the last six games, Adams is averaging 14.7 points and 12.2 rebounds a game. He is shooting nearly 64 percent from the field in that span.

In the last five contests, Rose is averaging 15.6 points a game and shooting 48.1 percent from the field. In February, he is shooting 96 percent from the free throw line.

Setting Others Up
Joey Parker has been one of the top point guards in the HAAC over the last month. In the last 12 games, he is averaging 5.4 assists a game, and has at least three assists in every game. His assist-to-turnover ratio in that span is 2.5.

Earlier This Year
Led by its two starting post players, Lindenwood picked up a much needed win with a 72-62 win over William Jewell.

Brett Thompson and Toriano Adams both recorded double-doubles in the game and helped Lindenwood win the rebounding battle 41-22.

Lindenwood never trailed in the game and led for the final 36 minutes of the contest. In the second half, William Jewell got within a basket on seven different occasions, but Lindenwood never relinquished the lead.

The final time the Cardinals got within two was at 54-52 with just over five minutes remaining. Thompson scored six straight points at that point, highlighted by a three-point play with four minutes left, to put the Lions up 60-52. William Jewell cut the lead to five in the final minute, but a Thompson dunk and three free throws by Richard Rose put the finishing touches on the Lions' victory.

Lindenwood shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 51.7 percent in the second half when it scored 47 points. William Jewell shot 42.3 percent from the field but the Lions held the Cardinals to just four-of-20 shooting from three-point range.

Thompson finished with season-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Adams had 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Alfred Nelson scored 11 points, and Brandon Kunkel and Rose each had nine. Joey Parker dished out a team-high six assists.

Scouting The Cardinals
William Jewell has two big games remaining, travelling to Evangel on Thursday before hosting Lindenwood on Saturday. The Cardinals are currently 18-9 overall and 13-5 in conference play.

William Jewell is 9-2 on its home court this season, including seven straight victories on its home court.

The Cardinals have one of the top defenses in the HAAC, allowing just over 64 points a game. Offensively, the team is second in the HAAC by turning the ball over just 12.6 times a game, and shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

Nick Larson is among the NAIA's top ten rebounders with 10.0 rebounds a game and he also leads the team with a 19.6 scoring average. Kyle Fisher averages 16.6 points a game and is the team's top three-point threat and playmaker.

Head coach of William Jewell is Larry Holley. The longtime coach has been at the school since 1979 and is approaching 800 career wins.

Series History
Over the last five years, Lindenwood leads the series with William Jewell by a 6-3 margin. Included in that is a 3-1 mark for the Lions in games played in Liberty.

Up Next
Lindenwood will host a first-round HAAC Tournament game on March 3 at 7 p.m. The HAAC semifinals will be on March 5 and the finals are on March 8.