Thursday's Game At A Glance
• The Lindenwood men's basketball team is one of the hottest teams in the MIAA, winning five of its six contests since Christmas. The Lions look to continue their hot streak with two home games, starting with Thursday's 7:30 p.m. contest against Southwest Baptist.
 
• The Lions went 2-0 on their recent road trip with wins over Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State. In Saturday's win over the Gorillas, Lindenwood was up by 33 points at one point in the second half. With those two victories, the Lions are now 14-6 on the season, and 4-4 in the MIAA.
 
• Southwest Baptist enters the game with a 9-7 overall record and a 2-5 conference mark. The Bearcats have lost two straight MIAA games, including a 75-54 setback against Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
 
• Lindenwood leads the all-time series against Southwest Baptist by a 5-3 margin, and has won three straight in the series. The Lions are 2-1 against the Bearcats in Hyland Arena. In the most recent meeting last season, the Lions earned a 68-47 victory in Bolivar in a game in which they led for the final 27:46.
 
• Thursday's matchup will be between two of the top four defensive teams in the MIAA. Lindenwood is third by allowing 68.1 points a game, and Southwest Baptist is fourth with a 68.4 scoring defense.
 
Lindenwood Notes
• The Lions had one of their best defensive efforts of the season against Pittsburg State. The 55 points was the third-lowest total Lindenwood has allowed this season, including just 38 points through the first 35 minutes.
 
• In the Lance Randall era, Lindenwood is now 21-10 when holding opponents below 70 points, and 19-4 when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field.
 
• The Lions are now 5-1 since Christmas, including three straight victories. With a victory on Thursday, Lindenwood's four-game MIAA road winning streak would be the longest since the 2014-15 season.
 
• Lindenwood is 10-1 this season when making more three-pointers than its opponent. Over the last three games, the Lions are averaging 12.7 three-pointers a game, and shooting .432 from long distance. Opponents are averaging just 4.0 three-pointers a game in that span, and they are shooting .214 percent.
 
• Over its last six games, Lindenwood is forcing 17 turnovers a game, and it has a +3.2 turnover margin. In that span, it is scoring 18.2 points a game in points off turnovers. The Lions are 13-4 over their last two seasons when having fewer turnovers, including a 9-2 record this season.
 
• Jackson Price is the team's leading scorer over the last six games, averaging 15.8 points a game. Over the last three games, he is averaging 22.0 points a game. In those three contests, he has made 14 three-pointers, and is shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
 
• Brenon Larson-Gulsvig has also been hot in the team's winning streak. He is averaging 18.0 points a game, and is shooting 68.2 percent from the field and 68.8 percent from three-point range.
 
• Lindenwood's current 5-1 stretch, including three straight wins, coincides with a shakeup in the starting lineup. Max Meylor has started six straight games, and Bakari Triggs has started the last three games. Both of those players are also members of the Lions football team.
 
• Lindenwood is second in the MIAA with 9.3 three-pointers made a game. Three players, Jackson Price, LJ McIntosh, and Brenon Larson-Gulsvig are all in the top-20 in three-pointers a game.
 
• Chandler Diekvoss continues to rank in the top-10 in the MIAA in both scoring and rebounding.
 
• In the latest national rankings, the Lions rank in the top-50 in free-throw percentage (44th), scoring defense (29th), and turnovers per game (37th).
 
A Look At The Bearcats
• Southwest Baptist is currently 11th in the MIAA with a 2-5 conference mark. Its two wins have come against Northeastern State and Fort Hays State.
 
• The Bearcats lead the MIAA with a +9.4 rebounding margin. That mark is ninth among NCAA Division II programs. Brian Patterson leads the team with 6.2 rebounds a game, and Louis Baltazar is second with 5.3 boards a contest.
 
• Logan Hovey leads the team with 11.3 points a game, just ahead of Brian Patterson with 11.1 points a contest. Four other regulars are averaging over seven points a game.
 
• The Bearcats are fifth in the MIAA in field-goal percentage defense (.427) and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.347). Southwest Baptist is allowing just 68.4 points a contest.