complete game notes

ECAC Quarterfinals
- One week after being eliminated from the MIAA Tournament, the Lindenwood women's basketball team received another chance to extend the 2013-14 season with an invitation to play in the inaugural ECAC NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship. The Lady Lions boarded a charter bus Monday afternoon for their trip to Bluefield, W.V. The Lady Lions play Bluefield State College which is on the West Virginia-Virginia border.

- This will be the Lady Lions first meeting with a team outside of their conference since they ripped apart Robert Morris 106-60 Nov. 26. Of the six probable starters listed for the Lady Blues, three are seniors and two are juniors. Lindenwood coach Tony Francis said the Lady Lions will face a team that plays a different brand of basketball than his team his used to seeing. Central Oklahoma used its experienced guards to help beat the young Lady Lions in the conference tournament.

- "They don't play quite as physical but that's not to say it's not good basketball," Francis said.

Lindenwood Notes
- A season that started Nov. 2 with an exhibition game in Carbondale, Ill. is still alive after the Lady Lions received an invitation to the first ECAC Tournament. Division I basketball teams that don't receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament compete in the NIT. The ECAC Tournament is the Division II answer to the NIT. If the Lady Lions reach the final Sunday, they will have played three extra games and given coach Tony Francis more opportunity to evaluate his young roster.

- According to Google maps, the Lady Lions' journey to Bluefield, W.V. covered about 650 miles. Bluefield is in the southeast corner of the state, on the border with Virginia.

- "I want to thank (Lindenwood President James D. Evans) and our athletic director, John Creer, for supporting this opportunity," Francis said. "Without them, this would not be possible. This gives us a chance to get a taste of what we're shooting for in a couple years. It's a reward for these seniors who spent two years without postseason possibilities and for the rest to play the game they love. This will help us build a nationally prominent program."

- None of the Lady Blues started every game this season. Only sophomore guard Jenny Rocha has started all 27 of the Lady Lions' games. A pair of senior guards lead the Lady Blues in scoring. Kearah Jeffreys (5-foot-5) and Shay Gravely (5-7) average 12.0 points and 10.3 points, respectively. Three Lady Lions are averaging 10 or more points. Freshman guard Kassidy Gengenbacher leads the Lady Lions with 15.7 points. Senior forward Caroline Bourlioux is second on the Lady Lions with 11.9 points. Senior guard Marissa Lehnig averages 10.9 points, but Lehnig has been out for the season with an injury since Feb. 15.

- Gengenbacher was selected as the MIAA Freshman of the Year. Francis inserted Gengenbacher into the starting lineup Nov. 21 against Harris Stowe and she hasn't missed a start since then. She climbed to fourth in scoring in the conference and is first in the MIAA with a .433 three-point percentage. Francis said that there's not a moment too big on the court for Gengenbacher. She's surpassed 20 points seven times this season and has 50 points in the last two games.

- Bourlioux scored 17 points against Central Oklahoma in the tournament and surpassed 1,000 career points. Bourlioux has scored 1,011 points and will play in her 100th career game with the Lady Lions Wednesday.

- Around the MIAA: Central Missouri claimed the conference championship in the regular season, but Emporia State beat the Jennies 75-71 to win the MIAA Tournament. With the title, the Lady Hornets received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Last Time Out
- The Lindenwood women's basketball team was ousted from the MIAA Tournament after losing 85-79 to Central Oklahoma March 3 at Hyland Arena. The Lady Lions were the seventh seed and the Bronchos were seeded 10th.

- Lindenwood freshman Kassidy Gengenbacher scored 24 points against the Bronchos. She also had six rebounds and three assists. Her season average is up to 15.7 points, fourth in the conference.

- Senior Caroline Bourlioux surpassed 1,000 career points in the first half against the Bronchos and finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. It's the second straight game Bourlioux had 10 or more rebounds. The Bronchos committed 23 fouls and Bourlioux found herself knocked to the floor on more than one occasion.

- Senior Cassie Bluemner made two three-point baskets and finished with six points for the Lady Lions. Junior Morgan Johnson had 16 points.

Bluefield State College notes
- The Lady Blues beat West Virginia Tech 93-85 in overtime in their last game before the ECAC Tournament. The Lady Blues trailed by a point with fewer than two minutes left in the game when senior guard Kearah Jeffreys stole the ball and scored. Another steal by the Lady Blues, this time by senior guard Shay Gravely, led to another basket to give them the lead by three points. West Virginia Tech sent the game to overtime with a late three-point basket.

- The Lady Blues lost their first five games of the season, and had a record of 2-9 by Dec. 17. But they started to turn their season around with a 80-52 win over West Virginia Tech and finished the season winning 11 of their last 12 games. Through 23 games, the Lady Blues are averaging the same amount of points scored (68.3) as points allowed.