Thursday's Game At A Glance• The Lindenwood men's basketball team starts a two-game homestand this Thursday with a showdown against Fort Hays State. The two teams are among a five-team cluster near the top of the MIAA standings.
• The Lions enter Thursday's game with a 9-4 overall record and a 5-2 MIAA mark. Lindenwood went 1-1 on its road trip to start 2016. The Lions lost in overtime to Washburn by a 68-66 score, but bounced back for a 71-56 win over Emporia State.
• Fort Hays State has the best overall record in the MIAA at 11-2, and it is 5-2 in conference action. The Tigers have won six straight contests, including home wins last week over Pittsburg State (89-78) and Missouri Southern (84-83).
• The game will feature the No. 1 field-goal percentage defense in the MIAA against the No. 1 field-goal percentage offense. The Lions are holding opponents to just 38.7 percent shooting from the field, while Fort Hays State is shooting 51.0 percent for the season.
• Lindenwood leads the all-time series with Fort Hays State by a 2-1 margin, with the home team winning every contest. Last year, the Lions defeated the Tigers by a 73-46 score.
Lindenwood Notes• Lindenwood's defense continues to be one of the best in NCAA Division II. The Lions have held seven straight opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. Lindenwood is ninth in the nation with a 38.7 field-goal percentage defense for the season.
• The Lions lead the MIAA and are 17th nationally by allowing 66.3 points a game.
• Lindenwood is also in the top-20 in NCAA Division II (17th) with 5.2 blocked shots a game. It also leads the conference in that category.
• Lindenwood is 9-1 this season when shooting above 40 percent from the field, and it is 0-3 when being held below that mark.
• Lindenwood is averaging 32.3 points in the first half of games this season, and has a +2.2 scoring margin. The Lions are averaging 40.2 points in the second half, and have a +4.5 scoring margin.
• Lindenwood has a +7.9 rebounding margin in its victories this season, compared to a +1.3 rebounding margin in its setbacks.
• The Lions are fourth in the MIAA with a 75.7 free-throw percentage. They are making 83 percent in the final two minutes of contests.
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Cory Arentsen is averaging 22.5 points a game, which ranks in the top-25 in NCAA Division II. His current average would be the second-highest in Lindenwood history for a single-season.
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Stanislas Heili leads the MIAA with a 2.6 blocking average, a mark which is 17th nationally. He has 34 total blocks, 17 shy of the Lindenwood single-season mark.
• Three Lions are pulling down six or more rebounds a game this season.
Stanislas Heili is averaging 8.7 rebounds,
Cory Arentsen is averaging 7.2, and
Zachary Biggs is averaging 6.2 rebounds. Biggs and Arentsen lead the team in MIAA action with each having 7.3 rebounds a game.
• Lindenwood is getting back to full strength after the recent return of two opening-day starters to the lineup. The Lions averaged 24.0 points off the bench in their two games last week, compared to 15.5 points off the bench before those contests.
• Four of the team's top five scorers are shooting better than 48 percent from the field.
Stanislas Heili leads the team by making over 70 percent of his shots from the field. The Lions rank sixth in the conference by making 47.1 percent of their field-goal attempts this season.
About Fort Hays State• Fort Hays State opened the MIAA season with losses to Washburn and Emporia, but have bounced back to win five straight conference contests against Nebraska-Kearney, Central Missouri, Southwest Baptist, Pittsburg State, and Missouri Southern.
• The leading scorer for the Tigers is Dom Samac with 17.5 points a game. He also leads the team with 7.4 rebounds, and he is shooting just under 60 percent from the field.
• Three other players average double-figure points in Rob Davis (16.0), Jake Stoppel (12.2), and Craig Nicholson (10.5).
• Fort Hays State is fourth in the MIAA in scoring offense (80.9) and fifth in scoring defense (73.2).
