Game #10
Lindenwood (3-6, 0-0 OVC)
vs. Avila (Mo.) (2-6, 1-5 HAAC)
Match Information:
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: 7-1
Last Meeting: W, 97-75 (12/17/19)
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Watch

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team continues their two-game home stand on Tuesday as they host Avila (Mo.) at 7:00 p.m. CT. The Lions have not faced Avila since the 2019-20 season when Lindenwood was still a Division II school.

Lindenwood suffered a loss last week as their comeback fell shot against cross-state opponent Kansas City (UMKC) by a final score of 67-72. The Lions were led by their two leading scorers this season including 22 points from Darius Beane and 16 points from Keenon Cole.

Avila (Mo.) comes into Hyland Arena with a 2-6 record and a 1-5 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. In an exhibition game to begin the season, the Eagles fell to Kansas City by a final score of 48-79. They have lost their previous two games before coming to Hyland.

On the season, Lindenwood is shooting 40.5% from the field while making 70.3% from the line. In their last game against UMKC, Lindenwood shot 39.2% from the field for the game, but shot 43.5% in the second half. They also made 22-29 from the charity stripe.

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 has been the catalyst for the Lindenwood offense this season bumping his scoring average to 14.1 ppg which is second on the team. Last game, Beane had 22 points against Kansas City while shooting 7-15 from the floor and 8-9 from the foul line.

During his senior season with the Lions, Beane has started all nine games for the Lions and has played the second most minutes with 256. He has scored in double-digits in six games including the last five. He also leads the team in assists with 17.

OVC Top Ten
The leader of the 2023-24 Lindenwood Lions team is leading scorer Keenon Cole. Cole is averaging 16.7 points per game this season, tied for third in the OVC, and has scored in double digits in all nine games for the Lions. He is fifth on the team and 11th in the conference in FG% while shooting 41.5% from the field (among qualified players).

Not only is Cole effective from the field, but he also is solid at the foul line making 80.4% at the charity stripe, ranking fifth in the OVC. His 41 makes from the line is second in the conference only behind Southern Indiana's Jeremiah Hernandez (44). Cole also is fifth in minutes per game with an average of 32.6.

Beane is also effective from the floor ranking third in field goal percentage after shooting 50.5% this season. Beane has scored over 20 points three times this season including a season high 25 points vs. William & Mary. He also ranks 11th in the OVC in points per game (14.1) and steals (1.1).

Freshman Colin Ruffin also makes and appearances on the OVC Top Ten list after picking up a season high four steals against Kansas City. He now ranks fifth in the OVC in steals per game with 1.4 while having a total of 13 this season.

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 Avila
The Eagles are led by first year head coach Tyler Bredehoeft who previously coached at Rock Valley College for three seasons where he posted a 64-35 record. He currently has a 2-6 record at Avila while picking up his first win against Manhattan College (76-72).

James Ross III is the Eagles' leading scorer this season with an average of 10.8 points per game. Jordan Majeed has also contributed 8.5 points per game while shooting 31.9% from the floor and 33.3% from the three point line.

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 hit the road again looking for their first away victory of the season as they travel to Indianapolis, Ind. for their first ever matchup against the Jaguars of IUPUI. The game is slated for an 11:00 a.m. CT tipoff on Saturday, Dec. 16. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.