Complete Game Notes in .PDF Format Here

Storyline
This week the Lindenwood Lady Lions will get a sneak peak of future MIAA competition. The Lady Lions will take on the Central Oklahoma Bronchos and the Northeastern State Riverhawks.

Both opponents will be making the move to the MIAA next season, and these teams will begin to see a lot of each other.
Lindenwood comes into the week riding a four-game winning streak, and have a record of 10-5. The Bronchos enter the
week boasting a mark of 10-7. The Northeastern State Riverhawks will arguably be the toughest opponent the Lady Lions have seen this year. The Riverhawks have a record of 14-1 and are ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II polls.

Last Time Out
The Lindenwood Lady Lions got a career-high 21 points from Julie Hlinak and beat the Urbana Blueknights 76-64 last Saturday afternoon in St. Charles, Mo.

The first half was all Lindenwood, only trailing to Urbana in the opening minutes of the game. The Lady Lions then went on a 15-6 run to take the lead over the Blueknights, 17-8. With two minutes remaining, Hlinak hit a three pointer to put the Lady Lions up 10 and eventually a 37-28 lead at the half.

To begin the second half, the Lady Lions dominated the boards and earned many second-chance opportunities. However the Blueknights were not going down without a fight as they came back within two with three minutes to go. Lindenwood would receive help from their bench and earn points from the free-throw line as they quickly gained an eight-point lead to seal their victory.

Lindenwood shot 72 percent from the free-throw line and pulled down 43 total rebounds over Urbana's 40. The Lady Lions were also able to cause 26 turnovers for the Blueknights.

Caroline Bourlioux and Hlinak each had 21 points in the contest along with Bourlioux recording eight boards. Katie Brown tallied 10 points while Sarah Schnieders contributed eight points, seven rebounds and led the team with four assists.

Defense Wins Games
Lindenwood's defense has been improving as the season goes along. On the year, the team is allowing just 60.6 points a game. The squad has not allowed 70 or more points over the last 11 games.

Getting to the Line
The team has been a frequent visitor to the free throw line this season. The Lady Lions have taken 328 free throws compared to their opponents 299. When Lindenwood shoots more free-throws the team is 8-2.

Improved Rebounding
Lindenwood has improved its rebounding as the season goes on. Over the first six games of the year, the Lady Lions were -2 on the boards. For the last nine contests, Lindenwood is +69.
In the team's game against New Orleans it won the battle on the boards 59-28.

Starting Five
So far in the 2011-12 season, the Lady Lions have used five different starting lineups. But over the last eight games the combination of Harrington, Lehnig, Brown, Schnieders, and Bourlioux are 7-1. All other combinations are 3-4.


Leading Late Equals Win
When the Lady Lions have a lead with less than five minutes to play the team is 8-0. Conversely, the team has only two wins if it is trailing at the five minute mark.

Close Losses
This season, the Lady Lions have played very close in all of their losses. In Lindenwood's five losses this season, only one has come by more than 10 points.

Spreading it Around
The Lady Lions have done a good job spreading the scoring around this season. In 15 games, there has been six separate leading scorers.

Double Digit Scoring
Eight of the 12 Lady Lions on the roster have had at least one scoring game in double figures. Leading the way is Morgan Harrington and Sarah Schnieders who have compiled nine 10+ points scoring games.

Streaking
The team is currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. It is the third streak of at least three wins.

Moving Up the List
Sarah Schnieders is in her third season as a member of the basketball program. With her six blocks this season she has moved into the top 10 list in career blocks at Lindenwood. As of the team's last game, she has recorded 52 blocks which is tied for ninth best all-time.

Opponents Breakdown
This season with the Lindenwood athletics department in a transition year, the team will be taking on a wide range of opponents. The Lady Lions will play 10 NCAA Division II teams, five NAIA teams, and two NCAA Division I teams.

Road Warriors
The Lady Lions will be criss-crossing the country in 2011-12, including a trip off the continental United States. Lindenwood will travel to 10 states this season including the program's first ever trip to Hawaii. The ladies will travel to Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

Up Next
After the team takes on Northeastern State at home the Lady Lions will play one more game at home against Harris-Stowe. Then the team will go back on the road to take on the Lindenwood-Belleville Lynx.
 
About Central Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma enters the contest against the Lady Lions with a record of 10-7. The team has lost its last two games and the Bronchos have a road record of 1-6.

Offensively, the team is averaging 74.5 points and on defense it surrenders 67.

Central Oklahoma is led by a trio of ladies that average over 10 points. Paiten Taylor leads the way with 10.8 followed by Courtney Harper's 10.5, and Heather Davis' 10.2.

Guy Hardaker is the head coach and is in his sixth season.

About Northeastern
The Northeaster State Riverhawks come into the week with a record of 14-1 and are the No. 8 ranked team in the country. Before taking on the Lady Lions the team will play Emporia State, who is ranked No. 20. Northeastern is on a eight game winning streak and are 4-0 on the road.

As a team on offense, the Riverhawks score an average of 65.1 points. The team's defense has been dominant all season. Opponents score just 48.7 points.

Taylor Lewis and Cristy Nitz share the team lead in scoring. The duo averages 10.7 points.

At the helm of Northeastern is Randy Gipson. He is in his 13th season as the head coach.