Complete Game Notes in .PDF Format Here

Storyline
For the second time this season, the Lady Lions will take on the McKendree Bearcats. The last time the two teams met Lindenwood upended the Bearcats 72-61 on the road.

The two teams played a very intense game in Lebanon. Both teams have been waiting for the rematch.

Coming into the game, the Lady Lions have a record of 18-8 and have won their last four out of five games. The Bearcats are on the other side of the ledger. The team has lost its last 14 out of 15 games.

Last Time Out
The Lindenwood Lady Lions had a rough second half on the way to a 65-56 loss to the Urbana Blue Knights last Saturday afternoon in Urbana, Ohio.

The first half was all Lindenwood. The visitors started the contest on a 18-7 run over the first 10 minutes to take an 11 point lead. Urbana tried to chip away at the lead but could only get within nine at the end of the first half.

Urbana went into the locker room and came back out making the proper adjustments.  The Blue Knights exploded to a 15-2 run over the first six minutes  of the final half to take a one point advantage. The home team never looked back from that point on.

The lead ballooned all the way up to 13 late in the second half. Lindenwood would cut the lead to as low as nine, but not any closer as Urbana went onto the victory.

The Lady Lions shot 37 percent from the field and 58 percent from the free throw line. Lindenwood won the battle of the boards 43-35 but committed 23 turnovers.

Julie Hlinak led the way for the Lady Lions scoring 13 points including a three-for-five day from behind the three point arc. Katie Brown scored 12 while Caroline Bourlioux pitched in with 11. Bourlioux and Marissa Lehnig led the way with seven rebounds a piece.

Defense Wins Games
Lindenwood's defense has been improving as the season goes along. On the year, the team is allowing just 63.0 points a game. The squad has allowed 70 or more points three time over the last 12 games.

Leading Late Equals Win
When the Lady Lions have a lead with less than five minutes to play the team is 12-0. Conversely, the team has only two wins if it is trailing at the five minute mark.

Getting to the Line
The team has been a frequent visitor to the free throw line this season. The Lady Lions have taken 519 free throws compared to their opponents 413. When Lindenwood shoots more free-throws the team is 12-4.

Starting Five
So far in the 2011-12 season, the Lady Lions have used seven different starting lineups. The combination of Harrington, Lehnig, Brown, Schnieders, and Bourlioux are 10-2. All other combinations are 4-6.

Halftime Leads
In 14 of the squads 22 games the Lady Lions have held a halftime lead. In those games, Lindenwood is 11-3.

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

Steady Bourlioux
Sophomore Caroline Bourlioux has been the one constant in the Lady Lions starting lineup all season long. She has started all 22 of the team's games. She is also second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points and first in rebounds with 6.5.

Spreading it Around
The Lady Lions have done a good job spreading the scoring around this season. In 22 games, there has been six separate leading scorers. Sarah Schnieders has led the team in scoring the most on the squad. She has been top scorer eight time this season.  

Double Digit Scoring
Nine of the 12 Lady Lions on the roster have had at least one scoring game in double figures. Leading the way is Sarah Schnieders who has compiled 15, 10+ points scoring games.

Schnieders Turning It On
The junior from St. Peters, Mo. has been stepping up her play late in the season. Over the Lady Lions past five games, she is averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. She has led the team in scoring in three of the last five games.  

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 53 blocks which is 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.

Solid Freshman
The 2011-12 edition of the Lady Lions basketball team is very young. But the youngsters have not showed their youth. The four freshman have appeared in every game but seven this season, and 27 starts between them. Katie Brown, Meagan Hittle, Julie Hlinak, and Janel Whitworth combine for 19.4 points a game.

Close Games
The Lady Lions have done a good job closing out close games. In four games this season when the game is decided by four points or less the team is 4-0.

Last Meeting
The last time the Lady Lions and the Bearcats met Lindenwood beat McKendree 72 -61 in Lebanon, Ill.

The contest started with the two teams trading the lead back-and-forth four times in the first 10 minutes. But at the 10:23 mark, Morgan Harrington connected on a three-pointer to give the Lady Lions the lead and the team never looked back. Lindenwood never fell behind the Bearcats the rest of the way.

The first half ended with the Lady Lions leading 33-25. To start the final half, Lindenwood scored the first four points to extend the lead to 12. The Bearcats answered with a quick four-point spurt to cut the lead to eight, but that would be as close as McKendree got to the Lady Lions the rest of the way.

The Lady Lions shot 46 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line. Lindenwood forced McKendree into 19 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 36-35.

Lehnig led the Lady Lions in scoring with 19 points on six-of-nine shooting, and also compiled five steals. Caroline Bourlioux chipped in with 15 points while Harrington scored 10. Sarah Schnieders filled the stat sheet up with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and three steals.

About McKendree
The McKendree Bearcats enter the game with a record of 57-16.

As a team, McKendree is shooting 42 percent from the field, 30 percent from the three-point line.

Caty Ponce leads the team in scoring with 15.8 points a game.
 
Up Next
The Lady Lions will head back on the road for the last time this season. They will take on Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State.