The Lindenwood men's basketball team (7-11, 2-3 OVC) will close out the week with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff in Edwardsville, Ill. to take on the top team in the conference in SIUE (13-5, 4-1 OVC) on Saturday.

The Lions are coming off of a loss to SEMO on Thursday night.  Lindenwood hit 6-of-8 from three-point range in the second half, but the effort fell shy on the road.  Chris Childs had a great night shooting the ball, as he nailed six three pointers for a total of 22 points.  Keenon Cole compiled 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while Cam Burrell dropped 17 points.  Lindenwood has lost back-to-back conference games after winning the two prior OVC bouts.  The Lions are now 6-3 when scoring north of 70 points this season, as Lindenwood put up a solid offensive night with 71 points.

Statistically, Childs continues to lead the Lions with 14.9 points per game, while Cole is efficiently close by with 12.1 points per night on 54.5 percent shooting from the field.  Cole is boasting an impressive field-goal percentage of 52.3 percent, which is elevated to 78.6 percent in OVC contests.  Childs, Cole, and Burrell have each increased their point production in conference-only games, as the Lions are seeing a better shooting percentage as well.

SIUE leads the league with a 4-1 conference mark, as the Cougars are on a three-game winning streak.  SIUE has won six of its last seven games, including a 69-67 upset win over SLU in December.  Lamar Wright has found success from three-point range by making 23-of-44, while Ray'Sean Taylor leads the Cougars with 13.7 points per game.

Lindenwood returns to Hyland Arena on January 19 to host USI at 8:00 p.m.