complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
The No. 10 Lindenwood men's basketball team currently sits in first place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, with two teams just one game behind in the loss column.
One of those squads, Evangel, will come to Hyland Arena on Thursday night for a key conference showdown.
Saturday, Lindenwood takes on the fourth-place team in the HAAC standings when it travels to Benedictine.
The Lions have wins over Evangel and Benedictine earlier this season. Both games were close at halftime before Lindenwood pulled away in the final half.
Lindenwood, which has won 19 out of its 20 games, has responded well since its lone loss in that stretch. Over the last three games, the Lions have won by an averaged of 22.7 points a game. The victories have been led by the defense in those recent contests, allowing just 51.0 points a game and holding opposing teams to 32.6 percent shooting from the field.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood took care of business last week against a pair of teams under .500 for the season, winning both games by 27 points.
The Lions were on the road last Thursday and defeated Culver-Stockton by a 75-48 margin. Lindenwood won the rebounding battle 50-27, and held the Wildcats to just 26.9 percent shooting from the field.
Garrett Reeg led the team with 16 points, and Michael Boos hit three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. David King had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Saturday, Lindenwood came home and knocked off Baker by a 77-50 score. The Lions were led by their outside game as they hit 13 of 24 three-pointers. Defensively, the team held another opponent under 35 percent shooting.
Alex Bazzell led Lindenwood with 16 points, followed by Boos with 14. Kramer Soderberg and Richard Rose were also in double-figure scoring. Brett Thompson came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds.
20-Win Season
Lindenwood clinched its second straight 20-win season with its victory over Baker last Saturday. The milestone marked the sixth time in program history that it reached 20 wins, and was the second time that it had back-to-back 20-win seasons.
1,500 Points
Richard Rose enters play this week just 30 points shy of 1,500 for his Lindenwood career. He will become the fourth Lion to reach that mark, joining Earl Austin Jr., Dustin Bevard, and Justin Shrake.
Three-Point Shooting
Eight times this season, Lindenwood has made 10 or more three-pointers in a game. The Lions have won all eight of those games by an average of 16.1 points a contest, and only one of those games has been decided by single digits.
On the season, the Lions are third in the NAIA in three-point percentage and 21st in three-pointers made per game.
Making Free Throws
Alex Bazzell and Kramer Soderberg have both surpassed 100 made free throws on the season. Bazzell has made 114 and is tied for ninth nationally in made free throws. Soderberg is tied for 15th with 103 made charity shots.
Lindenwood ranks fourth nationally by making 73.8 percent of its free throws. Soderberg is seventh in the NAIA in free throw percentage (88%), while Bazzell is 15th (84.4%).
Hyland Arena
Lindenwood is 24-2 at Hyland Arena since the start of Soderball.
Taking Care of the Ball
Lindenwood is currently third in the NAIA for fewest turnovers a game. The Lions are turning the ball over just 12.5 times a game. The Lions have not had over 12 turnovers in a game for the last seven contests.
Kramer Soderberg is first in the HAAC and 11th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio among players with at least two assists a game. He is averaging over four assists a game. In the last 12 games, he has turned the ball over more than two times in a game just twice.
Freshmen Contributors
Freshmen Garrett Reeg and Michael Boos have been key contributors off the bench in their first collegiate seasons.
Reeg has earned more playing time the last seven games due to Brett Thompson being out. In that span, he is averaging 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, and is shooting 67.4 percent from the field.
Boos is second on the team with 29 three-pointers and a .439 three-point percentage. Last week, he was six of 11 from three-point range in two games.
Thompson Returns
Brett Thompson returned to the lineup last week and made an immediate impact against Baker. In just 16 minutes, he grabbed 11 rebounds, tying a season-high. Thompson shot four of six from the field in his return.
Senior Shooters
Lindenwood's three seniors, Richard Rose, Alfred Nelson, and David King, are all shooting above 50 percent from the field. The trio average 26.7 points a game.
Scouting the Crusaders
Evangel enters Thursday's contest with victories in eight out of its last nine games. The Crusaders are currently 9-2 in the conference, 1.5 games behind Lindenwood. Their two losses were to William Jewell and the Lions.
Offensively, Evangel is averaging 75.7 points a game. It is shooting over 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. Defensively, the Crusaders are allowing 69.6 points a game. They led the HAAC in blocks and are second in steals.
Spud Harbour leads Evangel in scoring with 16.1 points a game. Mike Storey and Chad Gillaspy are also averaging double-figure points. Gillaspy leads the team with 8.1 rebounds a game, and Cale Ramsey averages 3.4 assists a game.
Head coach of Evangel is Steve Jenkins. He is in his 29th year at the school and has won 525 games.
Scouting the Ravens
Benedictine has been up and down in 2011, going 5-5 since the start of the new year. The team is up lately though as it has won two straight entering a Thursday contest at MidAmerica Nazarene.Benedictine is 8-4 in conference play, three games back of the Lions.
Benedictine has one of the top defenses in the NAIA, allowing just 62.2 points a game. The Ravens are holding opponents to just 40.7 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent shooting from three-point range.
A trio of Ravens averaged double-figures for a Benedictine offense that scores 61.6 points a game. Chris McFaul leads the team with 13.7 points a game, and both Alex Miller and Duane Morgan average over 11. McFaul leads the HAAC with 63 three-pointers. Miller has a team-high 6.1 rebounds a game, and Geno McNeil averages 2.4 assists a contest.
Todd Eisner is in his first year as the head coach of Benedictine.
Earlier This Year
Lindenwood went on a 24-7 run in the second half to spark it to a 67-50 victory over Evangel. The Lions won with their defense as they held Evangel to just 35.6 percent shooting from the field.
Richard Rose led the team with 17 points, including four of five from three-point range. Kramer Soderberg had 14 and Efkan Eren scored 10.
The Lions prevailed in a defensive battle with Benedictine by a 69-55 score. The difference was late in the first half and early in the second when Lindenwood outscored the Ravens 34-13. The Lions won the rebounding battle by 10 boards, and they held Benedictine to 35.4 percent shooting from the field.
Garrett Reeg had a double-double in his first start with 16 points and 15 rebounds.Alex Bazzell had a team-high 19 points.
Up Next
Lindenwood travels to Missouri Valley on Feb. 10 before returning home on Feb. 12 versus Graceland.
