Tonight's Game

• The Lindenwood Lions will play their sixth consecutive home game against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos on Thursday night. The game is the sixth of a nine game home stand and is the team's first conference game.

• Lindenwood is coming off a 84-68 win over the Illinois Springfield Prairie Starts. The win improved the Lions to the 4-4 on the season and 3-1 at home.
 
• Central Oklahoma comes to the Hyland Arena with a record of 6-1. The Bronchos have won their  last four games and are also playing their first conference games.
 
• These two teams have met three times. The Bronchos hold the 2-1 edge.

Lindenwood Notes

• Darris Smith is the team's lone returning starter and has started off the season very well. In eight games, he has averaged over 35 minutes a game and has just 10 turnovers compared to 27 assists. Twice this season the junior has played in all 40 minutes.

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

• 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 9.8 points in eight 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 two guys that average over 10 points a game and four 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. Three this season, Lindenwood made a season-high 10 threes. When the Lions attempt more threes than their opponents the team is 3-0 and are 4-1 when its makes more threes.

• 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 19 assists while running the point. The lone senior is also leading the team in scoring with 14.4 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 84-78. Garrett Reeg is leading the team in offensive rebounds with 19.

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

• Going back to last season the Lions have compiled a 8-1 record in non-conference home games.

• 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 eight games, there has been five separate Lions lead the team in scoring. Darris Smith,Tyler Ressel, and Michael Boos 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 155 free throws and are shooting 82 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 40 percent from behind the three-point line. Opponents have only shot below 40 percent one time.

• Through eight games this season, there has only been one games 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 11-4 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 54-8 at home.

Central Oklahoma Notes

• The Central Oklahoma Bronchos enter tonight's game with a record of 6-1. The Bronchos have won their last four games and are 2-1 away from home.

• As a team, the Bronchos are averaging 86.1 points a game and surrender 77.9 points. Central Oklahoma has shot 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. The Bronchos are also shooting 64 percent from the free-throw line.  

• The Bronchos have four guys that average over 10 points a night. Josh Gibbs is on of the top players in the conference and averages 21.6 points a night to go along with 14.7 rebounds. Seth Heckart is second on the team scoring 13.4 points while Aaron Anderson and Cal Andrews each score 10.7 points a game.  

• Terry Evans is the head coach of Central Oklahoma. He is in his 12th season at the helm of the Bronchos and has a record of 229-105.