Saturday's Game At A Glance• The Lindenwood men's basketball team starts MIAA play on Saturday with a 3 p.m. home game against the Lincoln Blue Tigers.
• Lindenwood finished its non-conference portion of the regular season with a 4-2 record. The Lions fell in their final non-conference game on Tuesday night with an 88-72 setback against a hot-shooting Quincy team.
• Lincoln also went 4-2 during the non-conference schedule. The Blue Tigers opened the season with three straight wins, and also won their most recent game on Tuesday against Robert Morris-Springfield by a 126-57 margin.
• Lindenwood leads the all-time series with Lincoln by a 7-4 margin. The Lions are 7-1 against the Blue Tigers since moving to the NCAA level.
• Saturday's game will feature two of the top five scorers in the MIAA, and four out of the top 14. Lincoln's Anthony Virdure ranks third in the conference with 23.0 points a game, while Lindenwood's
Cory Arentsen is fifth with 20.5 points. Lincoln's Jaylon Smith and Lindenwood's
Brad Newman are also in the top-14.
Lindenwood Notes• Lindenwood enters MIAA play ranked fourth in the conference by allowing 70.3 points a game. The Lions have held four of their six opponents under 70 points.
• Lindenwood is 4-0 this season when having a better field-goal percentage than its opponent. Offensively, the Lions have shot 47 percent or better in every game but one, and over 51 percent in two games. Defensively, the Lions have held every opponent except one to 46 percent shooting or lower, including holding two opponents under 40 percent from the field.
• Lindenwood leads NCAA Division II by committing the fewest fouls per game. The Lions are committing just 13.3 fouls per contest, and opponents are shooting just 12.8 free throws a game.
• Lindenwood has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season, and ranks 39th in the nation with a +7.3 rebounding margin.
• Lindenwood ranks fifth in the MIAA in field-goal shooting and three-point field shooting, and leads the conference in free-throw percentage. The Lions are shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three-point range, and 77.5 percent from the free-throw line.
• Lindenwood had a season-high 21 made free throws against Quincy. It was the most free throws made by the team since hitting 27 in the second Lincoln contest last season.
• Lindenwood has had a player score 20 or more points four times this season, with
Cory Arentsen reaching that mark three times and
Stanislas Heili once. Heili's 20-point game came last time out against Quincy when he had 23 on eight-of-nine shooting from the field and seven-of-nine shooting from the free-throw line.
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Stanislas Heili ranks eighth in NCAA Division II in blocks per game (2.8) and 12th in rebounds per game (11.0). He is averaging 3.7 blocks a game over the last three contests.
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Brad Newman went nine-of-nine from the free-throw line against Quincy, and has now made 11 straight free throws. His nine points from the free-throw line helped him reach double-figures for the game, and he is now the only Lion to score 10 or more points in every game this season.
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Zachary Biggs just missed a double-double against Quincy with 12 points and nine rebounds. Those 12 points tied for the second-most in his career, and his nine rebounds were the second-most he has pulled down as a Lion.
A Look At The Lincoln Blue Tigers• The Lincoln Blue Tigers have wins this season over Arkansas Monticello, Ouachita Baptist, Robert Morris-Peoria, and Robert Morris-Springfield. Its losses have come to Harris-Stowe and McKendree.
• Lincoln is currently first in the MIAA with 93.3 points a game. It has scored over 80 points in every game this season but one, and it has hit triple digits in two games.
• The Blue Tigers also lead the league in three-pointers made (9.5 a game) and in assists (17.8 a game).
• The duo of Anthony Virdure and Jaylon Smith has combined to average 41.8 points a game, and they have made 35 three-pointers this season.
