Saturday's Game At A Glance• The Lindenwood men's basketball team faces another one of the MIAA's top offenses on Saturday afternoon at Hyland Arena. The Lions take on Nebraska-Kearney in a 3:30 p.m. game.
• The Lions moved into a two-way tie for first place in the MIAA after Thursday's 68-49 victory over Fort Hays State. Lindenwood led 45-18 on its way to moving to 10-4 on the season and 6-2 in MIAA play.
• Nebraska-Kearney is the hottest team in the MIAA with four straight wins. In those victories, the Lopers are averaging 97.3 points a game. The Lopers are 8-5 overall for the year, and 5-3 in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood comes into the game ranked first in the MIAA by allowing just 65.1 points a game, while Nebraska-Kearney is second offensively with 83.8 points a game.
• The game will also feature two of the top three rebounders in the conference in Lindenwood's
Stanislas Heili (9.1) and Nebraska-Kearney's Connor Beranek (8.9).
• Lindenwood is 2-2 all-time against Nebraska-Kearney. The Lions are 1-0 against the Lopers at Hyland Arena, with an 83-64 victory last season.
Lindenwood Notes• Lindenwood's defense continues to be one of the best in NCAA Division II. The Lions have held eight straight opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. Lindenwood is eighth in the nation with a 38.4 field-goal percentage defense for the season.
• The Lions lead the MIAA and are 16th nationally by allowing 65.1 points a game.
• Lindenwood is also in the top-20 in NCAA Division II (11th) with 5.2 blocked shots a game. It also leads the conference in that category.
• Lindenwood is 10-1 this season when shooting above 40 percent from the field, and it is 0-3 when being held below that mark.
• Lindenwood is averaging 33.2 points in the first half of games this season, and has a +3.9 scoring margin. The Lions are averaging 38.9 points in the second half, and have a +3.6 scoring margin.
• Lindenwood has a +8.0 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 75.8 free-throw percentage. They are making 82 percent in the final two minutes of contests.
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Cory Arentsen is averaging 22.4 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 12th nationally. He has 37 total blocks, 14 shy of the Lindenwood single-season mark.
• Three Lions are pulling down six or more rebounds a game this season.
Stanislas Heili is averaging 9.1 rebounds,
Cory Arentsen is averaging 6.8, and
Zachary Biggs is averaging 6.6 rebounds. All three players are ranked in the top-10 in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood is getting back to full strength after the recent return of two opening-day starters to the lineup. The Lions averaged 21.0 points off the bench in their three 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 47 percent from the field.
Stanislas Heili leads the team by making 73.2 percent of his shots from the field. The Lions rank sixth in the conference by making 47.0 percent of their field-goal attempts this season.
About Nebraska-Kearney• Nebraska-Kearney is one of the top offenses in the MIAA, averaging 83.8 points a game. It is third in the league in field-goal percentage and three-pointers made. The Lopers lead the league with a 80.4 free-throw percentage.
• Connor Beranek leads the MIAA with 26.2 points a game, and is third with 8.9 rebounds a game. He also leads the team in three-pointers, free throws, assists, and blocks.
• Twp other players average double-figure points in Trey Lansman (16.7) and Ethan Brozek (15.7).
• The Lopers lost their first four true road games this season, but have won their last two, and have averaged 92.5 points in those two contests.
