Thursday's Game At A Glance• Lindenwood starts an important four-game road trip with two games this week in Oklahoma. The Lions start the trip on Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. game at Northeastern State.
• Lindenwood picked up one of its biggest wins of the season last Saturday when it overcame a 16-point deficit and defeated Missouri Southern by a 69-68 score. The win improved the Lions to 13-6 overall, and placed the team in sole possession of second place in the MIAA with a 9-4 mark.
• Northeastern State opens play this week with a 5-12 overall record and a 4-9 conference mark. The RiverHawks defeated Southwest Baptist last Saturday by a 90-80 margin.
• The Lions, who play seven out of its final nine games on the road, are 2-2 in MIAA road games this season. Northeastern State has picked up all of its conference wins at home, compiling a 4-1 MIAA home mark in 2015-16.
• Lindenwood is 4-2 all-time against Northeastern State, and it is 2-1 in games played in Tahlequah, Okla. Earlier this season, the Lions defeated Northeastern State by a 75-63 score.
Cory Arentsen led the Lindenwood offense with 40 points, and the defense held the RiverHawks to just 33.8 percent shooting.
Lindenwood Notes• Lindenwood leads the MIAA in scoring defense (63.8), field-goal percentage defense (.393), and blocks (5.0). It is seventh in NCAA Division II in scoring defense, eighth in field-goal percentage defense, and 13th in blocks.
• Lindenwood's defense has held 12 straight opponents to 70 points or less, and 16 of its 19 opponents this season have not surpassed that mark.
• Lindenwood has grabbed more rebounds in every game but two this season. The Lions have a +9.6 rebounding margin over the last seven games. They are currently second in the MIAA and 29th in the nation with a +6.6 rebounding margin for the year.
• The Lions rank fifth in the MIAA in three-point percentage (.376) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.752). Lindenwood is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, which ranks seventh in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood is second in NCAA Division II by committing just 14.4 fouls a game. The Lions are getting to the free-throw line nearly five times more a game than its opposition, and making nearly four more points a game than its opponents.
• The Lions are averaging 108.3 points per 100 possessions on the season, and allowing just 98.9.
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Cory Arentsen has scored 56 percent of his points in the second half of games this season. He has scored in double figures in the second half 14 times, including two games over 20 points.
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Stanislas Heili is two blocks away from Lindenwood's single-season record of 51. He ranks 10th in NCAA Division II with 2.6 blocks a game.
• Lindenwood has seven double-double performances this year from three different players.
Sam Mader had the most recent one with a career game of 21 points and 11 rebounds versus Missouri Southern. Mader is averaging 13.8 points a game in the five contests in which he has played at least 20 minutes.
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LJ McIntosh is averaging nearly eight points a game in conference play, including an 8.6 average during the month of January.
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Cory Arentsen and
Brad Newman have combined to make 27-of-28 (.960) free throws in the final two minutes of games.
• Lindenwood is ranked fifth in the region this week according to the D2SIDA poll. The official NCAA regional polls, which decides the NCAA Tournament field, will begin in mid-February.
A Look At Northeastern State• The RiverHawks are ranked fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense by scoring 76.6 points a contest.
• In the first contest against Lindenwood, Trey Mohair led the team with 23 points, and Dakota Caudill had 16.
• Dakota Caudill is the team leader with 13.9 points a game and 5.9 rebounds a contest.
• Trey Mohair is third in the MIAA with 4.5 assists a contest, and he is second on the team with 13.2 points a game.
• Four different RiverHawks players are averaging over one three-pointer made per game, led by Montre' Williams with 26.
