complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
The No. 10 Lindenwood men's basketball team begins the second half of its conference schedule this Thursday and Saturday. First up is a road trip to Canton, Mo. and a contest against Culver-Stockton. The Lions will then return home for an afternoon contest against Baker.
Earlier this season, Lindenwood defeated both teams by a large margin. The Lions recorded an 82-58 victory over Culver-Stockton and a 72-53 win against Baker.
The Lions are off to their best start in program history in conference play with a 9-1 mark at the midway point. The team is 0.5 game ahead of William Jewell and both teams have just one loss. Evangel is one game behind Lindenwood and Benedictine is still in the conference race with three setbacks.
Lindenwood went 1-1 in its most recent outings. The team's winning streak ended at 16 with a road loss at William Jewell. The Lions bounced back though with a 14-point victory over Benedictine.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood had its worst half of the year to start the contest against nationally-ranked William Jewell. The Cardinals jumped out to a 49-24 lead and easily won 92-61.
Everything went right for the home team as William Jewell shot over 50 percent from the field, made 12 three-pointers, had 17 more rebounds, and turned the ball over just three times.
Alfred Nelson led the Lions with 15 points on six of 10 shooting from the field.
On Monday, Lindenwood's defense returned to the form that has made it so successful this season. The result was a 69-55 win over Benedictine.
The Lions held the Ravens to just 35.4 percent shooting from the field, and Lindenwood won the rebounding battle 46-36.
In his first collegiate start, Garrett Reeg had a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds. Alex Bazzell had a team-high 19 points, including 12 made free throws.
Conference Only Stats
At the midpoint of conference play, Lindenwood is scoring 77.4 points a game against HAAC opponents, and allowing just 67.6 points. The Lions are shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from three-point range, and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
Kramer Soderberg leads the team in conference games with 17.5 points a game. Six other players are averaging over six points a game, including Richard Rose with 14.3 and Bazzell with a 12.6 average. Rose has connected on three three-pointers a game and is shooting 56.6 percent from beyond the arc. Brett Thompson has a team-high 6.0 rebounds in HAAC games.
Leading the HAAC
Lindenwood leads the HAAC in scoring, scoring margin, free throw percentage, and three-point percentage.
Nationally in those categories, the Lions are second in free throw percentage, third in three-point percentage, 22nd in scoring margin, and 26th in scoring.
Three-Point Slump
Lindenwood has been in a small slump from beyond the arc in recent games. The Lions have made over five three-pointers in a game just once over the last five games. In the four games that it made five or less three-pointers, the team is shooting under 30 percent from three-point range.
Hyland Arena
Lindenwood is 23-2 at Hyland Arena since the start of Soderball. The Lions are averaging 74.4 points a game in those contests, and allowing just 61.4 points a game.
Winning the Boards
One common statistic in Lindenwood's two losses is losing the rebounding battle. In those two games, the Lions have an average rebounding margin of -12. Six times this season, Lindenwood has lost the rebounding battle by four or more rebounds, including the two losses.
Excluding the William Jewell contest, Lindenwood had been doing good on the boards lately, having a +3.1 rebounding margin since the Christmas break.
Filling in at Center
Garrett Reeg has put up good minutes since he has had to help fill in for Brett Thompson at the center position. Over the last five games, he is averaging 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds a game, and is shooting 72.4 percent from the field.
Reeg's best game of the season came against Benedictine when he had a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Team Leader
In his first season as a Lion, Kramer Soderberg leads the team in points and assists, and is second in steals, three-pointers, and free throws.
Soderberg leads the HAAC in free throw percentage, is second in assists, fourth in scoring, and fifth in field goal percentage. Among players with over one assist a game, he is also first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Rose For Three
Richard Rose is second in the NAIA with a .528 three-point percentage. He is one of just four players making 50 percent or better from three-point range. Rose is 16th in three-pointers per game.
Scouting the Wildcats I
Culver-Stockton is currently last in the HAAC with an 1-8 overall record. The Wildcats are 1-17 overall and have lost nine in a row since their lone victory over Avila.
The Wildcats rank eighth in the HAAC by allowing 72.7 points a game, and are last with just a 58.2 scoring average.
Three players average over nine points for Culver-Stockton, led by Steven Crawford with 10.5 points a game. Crawford is shooting over 50 percent from the field and leads the team in rebounding. Peter Rodriguez is the Wildcats' top three-point threat and he averages 9.9 points and 3.3 assists a game. Jordan Lasater is third on the team with a 9.4 scoring average.
John Windham is the head coach of Culver-Stockton. He is in his third season and has a record of 13-65.
Scouting the Wildcats II
Baker enters Thursday's game against Benedictine with an 8-12 overall record and a 4-6 conference mark. The Wildcats are one of five teams with six conference losses and they are tied for fifth in the standings.
Baker is one of the better defensive teams in the HAAC. The Wildcats allow 68.0 points a game, hold opponents to 42.4 percent shooting from the field, and force nearly 16 turnovers a game. Offensively, the team is averaging 64.1 points a game.
Over 43 percent of Baker's scoring comes from Jaris Wommack and Andre Strozier. Wommack is averaging 16.6 points a game and he has connected on 43 three-pointers. Strozier is second with 11.7 points a game and leads the squad with 6.1 rebounds a game. Austin Bond leads the team in assists and averages 9.6 points a contest.
Brett Ballard is in his first season as the head coach of the Wildcats.
Earlier This Year
Lindenwood and Culver-Stockton were tied at 27 at halftime before the Lions exploded for 55 second-half points in an 82-58 win over Culver-Stockton.
Kramer Soderberg led Lindenwood with 19 points and Richard Rose had 17, including four three-pointers. Alex Bazzell and David King each had 10 points. Bazzell led with six assists and King had a team-high eight rebounds. Culver-Stockton got 34 points from its bench, including 17 from Peter Rodriguez.
Lindenwood defeated Baker by a 72-53 score after it shot 48.1 percent from the field, compared to 36.8 percent for Baker.
Soderberg had a team-high 20 points, Rose added 13, and Brett Thompson had 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Baker was paced by Jaris Wommack who had 14 points. Joe Wachter added 10 and Jack Shortell had eight points and eight rebounds.
Up Next
Lindenwood can put some distance between itself and third place when it hosts Evangel on Feb. 3 and travels to Benedictine on Feb. 5.
