complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
Lindenwood and William Jewell will square off for the 2010 Men's Basketball HAAC Tournament Championship on Monday evening at 7 p.m. in Liberty, Mo. Besides hardware being on the line, the winner will receive an automatic bid to the national tournament, while the other team will see a successful season end earlier than it hoped.
The Lions and Cardinals split their two regular season meetings, with both squads winning at home. Lindenwood won by 10 points in St. Charles, and William Jewell won by two in Liberty.
Both teams have finished the season strong. The Lions have won 11 of their last 13 games, a streak starting with their victory over William Jewell. The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight contest, and nine straight games on their home court.
Lindenwood reached the finals with a 57-51 upset over the 2010 HAAC regular season champion, Central Methodist, in the semifinal round. William Jewell picked up an 86-73 road victory against Evangel in the other HAAC semis.
Semifinal Result
The Lions advanced to the title game with a 57-51 road victory over Central Methodist.
The Eagles jumped out to a 29-22 lead in the first half. Lindenwood shot just 36.4 from the field in the period, while the Eagles made half of their attempts.
The Lions quickly got back in the game, scoring eight straight to start the second half. The two teams traded leads several times and were tied at 43 with 6:32 remaining in the game. At that point, Lindenwood went on a 10-2 run to take an eight-point lead, and then held on in the final minute.
For the game, Lindenwood shot 45.5 percent from the field, including 54.4 percent in the final half. Defensively, the Lions held the NAIA's top three-point shooting team to just 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Lindenwood outrebounded the Eagles 30-22.
Brett Thompson led the Lions with a double-double of 20 points and10 rebounds. Richard Rose finished with 18 points, and Joey Parker had seven points and six assists.
All-HAAC
Four Lions were named to the all-conference team. Toriano Adams was named first-team for the second straight season. Joey Parker and Brett Thompson were third-team picks, and Richard Rose was honorable mention.
Improved Record
Lindenwood entered postseason play with 21 victories, two more than last year's campaign. The Lions also won two more HAAC games in 2009-10.
This year marks just the fifth time in school history that Lindenwood has reached the 20-win plateau.
Defense Wins Ballgames
Lindenwood has not allowed an opponent to score over 70 points in 27 straight games, including all 20 conference contests. Six times in that span, it has held a team below 50 points, and 13 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 fifth in the NAIA in scoring defense and 18th in field goal percentage defense.
Rebounding Advantage
Lindenwood has won the rebounding battle for 14 straight games. Its rebounding margin during that span is +9.8.
On the season, the Lions are seventh in the nation and first in the HAAC with a +8.0 rebounding margin.
Lindenwood "O"
Lindenwood is 13-0 when scoring 70 or more points, and 16-0 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field.
Home Court Advantage
Lindenwood is 13-1 at the Hyland Performance Arena this season, one of its best home records in school history.
At home, the Lions are averaging 71.1 points a game and are shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Away from St. Charles, the team is scoring 66.8 points and shooting 44.0 percent. Defensively, Lindenwood is allowing under 60 points at home, and 62.8 points in its other games.
Ranked Victories
Lindenwood has five wins this year against nationally-ranked teams and are 5-2 versus ranked opponents. Victories have come against Robert Morris, Life, Columbia, and Central Methodist, twice.
T.A. Dominates Low Post
Toriano Adams has been one of the dominant low post players in the NAIA this season, especially on the boards. He ranks four nationally in offensive rebounds a game and seventh in rebounding margin. Adams has 12 double-doubles on the season and is averaging 11.8 points and 9.8 rebounds a game.
Adams has finished the season strong. Over the last 11 games, in which the Lions have gone 9-2, he is averaging 13.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game.
Rose's Scoring
Lindenwood's top scorer, Richard Rose, has also been on fire late in the year. Over the last eight games, he is averaging 15.9 points a game. In that span, he is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range.
Since the start of February, he has made 91.9 percent of his free throw attempts.
LU In HAAC Tournament
Lindenwood is in the HAAC Tournament for the sixth straight season. The Lions are 2-5 over the last five conference tournaments, with three first round exits and two semifinal losses.
Earlier This Year
Lindenwood turned its season around with a 72-62 win over William Jewell in late January. The Lions led most of the game and closed it out on a 18-10 run.
Brett Thompson and Toriano Adams both collected double-doubles as the Lions dominated the paint. Those two helped Lindenwood win the rebounding battle 41-22.
Thompson finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Adams had 18 points and 11 boards. Alfred Nelson had 11 points. The Cardinals were led by 22 points by Kyle Fisher and 17 by Nick Larson.
In the rematch, the Lions led by two at halftime, but a 6-0 run by William Jewell midway through the second half broke a tied ballgame and Lindenwood could never recover.
The big statistical difference came at the free throw line where the Cardinals attempted 15 more shots and made 10 more points.
Richard Rose led Lindenwood with 19 points, Joey Parker had 16, and Adams was one rebound away from a double-double. The Cardinals received 20 points and eight rebounds from Larson, and 18 points from Fisher.
Scouting The Cardinals
William Jewell's recent surge has come on the offensive side of the ball. The Cardinals have scored 80 or more points in four of the last five games, with the lone exception being the win over the Lions.
The team is among the nation's leader in assists per game, and has the second fewest turnovers per contest in the HAAC. William Jewell is fifth in the conference in scoring offense, and fourth in scoring defense.
Nick Larson is the team leader with 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Kyle Fisher is 12th in the NAIA with over five assists a game, and he averages 17.1 points. Jonathan Benson also averages double-figures, but no other player on the team is over six points a game.
Head coach of the Cardinals is Larry Holley. Holley has been as the school since 1979-80 and he is approaching 800 carer wins.
Series History
Over the last five years, Lindenwood has a 6-4 record versus William Jewell. Three of those victories have come in Liberty, although the Lions have not won there since 2008.
Up Next
Central Methodist, Evangel, and the winner of the HAAC Postseason Tournament will advance to the NAIA National Championships on March 17-23 in Kansas City, Mo.
