TONIGHT'S CONTEST

• The Lindenwood Lions will play their fifth consecutive home non-conference game against the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars on Tuesday night. The game is the fifth of a nine game home stand.

• Lindenwood is coming off a 116-93 win over the Benedictine-Springfield Bulldogs. The win improved the Lions to the 3-4 on the season and 2-1 at home.
 
• Illinois-Springfield comes to the Hyland Arena with a record of 2-2. The Prairie Stars have won their  last two games after losing their first two.
 
• This will be the second time the two teams have met. The Lions hold a 1-0 record in the series after a 89-84 overtime win last season on the road.

LINDENWOOD NOTES

• Darris Smith is the team's lone returning starter and has started off the season very well. In seven games, he has averaged over 35 minutes a game and has just eight turnovers compared to 25 assists. Twice this season the junior has played in all 40 minutes.

• Smith has had more assists than turnovers in every game but one this season. The game he didn't his assist to turnover ration was one.

• Sophomore Brandon Marquardt was the first Lion off the bench in the first four games but is now in the starting lineup. He has also been very effective. Marquardt is averaging 10.9 points in seven games and has scored in double figures five times.

• The Lions have done a good job spreading the scoring around in the early season. Lindenwood has three guys that average over 10 points a game and three more that average over seven.

• Three-point shooting has been a strength in the early season. The Lions have made at least seven threes in every game but two. Twice this season, Lindenwood made a season-high 10 threes. When the Lions attempt more threes the team is 2-0.

• With the injury to backup point guard Nick Van Osdale, Tyler Ressel has had to step up and run the point while Smith has taken a rest. Ressel has dished out 16 assists while running the point. The lone senior is second on the team in scoring with 14.0 points a game.  

• Working the glass on the offensive side has been a positive for the Lions in the early season. The team is outrebounding its opponents on the offensive glass 76-71. Reeg is leading the team in offensive rebounds with 15.

• Rebounding has not been a problem in the early season for the Lions. The team has won the rebounding battle in all but two games.

• Going back to last season the Lions have compiled a 7-1 record in non-conference home games.

• In a win against Benedictine-Springfield, Aaron Ramirez had his best game of his career. Ramirez set career-highs in points scored (18), field goals made (7), three-point field goals made (2), rebounds (7), assists (3), and steals (2).

• Freshman Marcus Hinton has made an early impact in his career. Hinton is averaging five points a game to go along with three rebounds as a freshman.

• In seven games, there has been five separate Lions lead the team in scoring. Darris Smith and Tyler Ressel are the only Lions that  have led the team in scoring more than once.

• The Lions starting five have been frequent visitors to the charity stripe this season. The five starters have taken 134 free throws and are shooting 83 percent from the stripe.

• So far this season the Lions have faced some hot shooting teams. Opponents are shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the three-point line. Opponents have only shot below 40 percent one time.

• Through seven games this season there has only been one game that has been decided by less than 10 points. The closest game has been eight points.

• In 2012-13, the Lions did not play a nationally ranked team. But already in 2013-14 Lindenwood has played two top-five teams.

• Over the past two seasons, the Lions have gone 10-4 against non-conference opponents.

• Unlike last year's team which had six seniors this season's squad has just one. Tyler Ressel is the only senior on the roster.

• The loss to Maryville earlier in the season was the first non-conference home defeat in the last seven games.

• The Hyland Arena floor has been very good to the Lions since Brad Soderberg took over. In his first five seasons, Lindenwood is 53-8 at home.

ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD NOTES

• The Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars enter tonight's game with a record of 2-2 overall and 0-1 on the road. The Prairie Stars have won thier last two games after losing its first two of the season.

• As a team, the Prairie Stars are averaging 76.3 points a game and surrender 78.5 points. Illinois-Springfield has shot 41 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. The Prairie Stars are also shooting 69 percent from the free-throw line.  

• The Prairie Stars have four guys that average over 10 points a night. Jacob Williams leads the team with an average of 13.8. Regan Bruenger is second on the team with a 11.5 points per game average while Brandon Snowden is close behind at 11.3. Dylan Sparkman rounds out the double digit scorers wth 10.0 points.  

• Ben Wierzba is the head coach of the Priaire Stars. Wierzba is in his third season at the helm.