Game #4
Lindenwood (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
at Air Force (1-2, 0-0 MWC)
Match Information:
Date: Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Venue: Clune Arena
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Watch
Lindenwood Game Notes: Notes

Game #5
Lindenwood
vs. Omaha (1-2, 0-0 SL)
Match Information:
Date: Friday, Nov. 17, 2023
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Venue: Clune Arena
Tip-Off: 3:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Video: Watch

Game #6
Lindenwood
vs. William & Mary (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
Match Information:
Date: Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Venue: Clune Arena
Tip-Off: 12:30 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Video: Watch

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team (1-2, 0-0 OVC) will compete in the Air Force Classic (MTE) this week as the Lions continue their non-conference play to begin the 2023-24 season.

Lindenwood will take on Air Force, Omaha and William & Mary during the tournament starting on Thursday, Nov. 16 and going through Sunday, Nov. 19. This will mark the first meeting for all three teams against the Lions.

The MTE marks the second straight season that the Lions have competed in a tournament during their Division I era. Last season, Lindenwood competed in the McNeese Tournament and went 1-2 including a 78-60 win at McNeese State.

On Monday, the Lions came off a 83-52 win against NAIA opponent Hannibal-LaGrange at Hyland Arena. Lindenwood came off their best shooting performance of the season after going 36-62 (58.1 FG%).

To begin the season, the Lions were picked to finish 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference as they begin their second Division I season in program history under head coach Kyle Gerdeman.

Player to Watch
Darius Beane had a career game on Monday after dropping 20 points against the Trojans. It previously beat his career high of 18 that he set while attending Northern Illinois in 2020 (vs. Ball State). He is now averaging 9.3 ppg this season which ranks third on the team.

Beane got in foul trouble early against Nebraska which limited his minutes in game one. Since then he has been efficient including his 10-14 performance against Hannibal-LaGrange. All 10 of his makes were inside the three-point arc including multiple pull-up jumpers.

OVC Preseason Rankings
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, Morehead State has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2023-24 season. It marks the second-straight year the Eagles have been tabbed the favorites.
 
The Eagles picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes (teams could not vote for themselves); Tennessee State picked up the other votes.  MSU tallied 200 points and was followed by SIUE (162), who was picked second. Tennessee State (153) was picked third and followed by UT Martin (149), Southeast Missouri (124), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).

Scouting Air Force, Omaha and William & Mary
The Falcons of Air Force are coached by Joe Scott entering his fourth season in his second stint with the team. Scott has led Air Force to a 1-2 record to start the season including a 82-67 win against LIU. Ethan Taylor is the leading scorer for the Falcons averaging 20.3 points per game this season. Taylor has also hit 13 three-pointers this season while grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game.

Omaha is led by second year head coach Chris Crutchfield and has led Omaha to a 1-2 record to start their young season. Their lone win came against Doane by a final score of 85-53. Frankie Fidler has been the Maverick's leading scorer those fall averaging 12.7 points per game. He has also grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game this season.

Dane Fischer enters his fifth season for the Tribe at William & Mary. W&M come into the week with the best record among tournament teams with a 2-1 record with wins against Regent University and American University. Gabe Dorsey is the leading scorer for the Tribe averaging 15.7 points this season while grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game.

Head Coach: Kyle Gerdeman
Kyle Gerdeman enters his fifth year at the helm of the Lindenwood men's basketball program in the 2023-24 season. The Lions concluded their inaugural Division I season in 2022-23 where Gerdeman led the Lions to an appearances in the OVC Tournament after a wild finish to the season.

The Lions took down in-state rival Southeast Missouri State in double-overtime to keep their postseason hopes alive.  In the final game of the regular season, Lindenwood needed a win to move on, and Kevin Caldwell Jr. answered the call with a game-winning bucket in overtime.

Lindenwood led the OVC in free-throw percentage (75.6), and was second in the OVC in three-point percentage (39.1).  Chris Childs held the top spot in the league with a free-throw percentage of 92.7, while Keenon Cole was atop the OVC with a three-point percentage of 51.0 percent.  The Lions clawed their way to three overtime wins on the season.  Lindenwood also posted two comeback victories from 20 points down, and another 17-point comeback during OVC play.

Up Next
The Lions return to Hyland Arena on Monday, Nov. 27 as they take on the Trailblazers of Utah Tech at 7:00 p.m. CT. Last season, Utah Tech defeated Lindenwood by a score of 64-95 in St. George, Utah. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.