Game #12
Lindenwood (5-6, 0-0 OVC)
at Missouri State (7-4, 1-1 MVC)
Match Information:
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023
Location: Springfield, Mo.
Venue: Great Southern Bank Arena
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Watch

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team continues their road trip before the holiday break as they travel to Springfield, Mo. for an in-state matchup against the Bears of Missouri State at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday. This marks the last non-conference road game for the Lions.

Lindenwood is currently on a two-game win streak as they defeated both Avila University (Mo.) and IUPUI last week improving their record to 5-6. Keenon Cole broke his career high scoring record for the second straight game with 26 points at IUPUI. He averaged 25.5 ppg last week in two victories.

Missouri State has a 7-4 record on the season including splitting their first two Missouri Valley Conference games. They have also posted a record of 5-0 at home. At the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, the Bears went 3-0 including wins over Florida Golf Coast and Kent State. In their last game, they suffered a loss to Tulsa 72-73 on the road.

On the season, Lindenwood is shooting 41.4% from the field while making 73.3% from the line which ranks first in the OVC. In their last game against IUPUI, Lindenwood shot 45.1% from the field for the game. It marked the fifth game this season where the Lions have shot over 45% from the field.

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
Cole continues his hot start to his senior campaign leading the Lions' offense in most statistical categories. He ranks first on the team this season in points (201), points per game (18.3) and free throws made (51). He is also shooting 81.0% from the foul line to lead the Lions. Cole is also Lindenwood's best rebounder averaging a team high 5.7 per game.

Through 11 games this season, Cole has now scored in double-figures in every single game including four games with over 20 points. He is the first player since Jacoby Ross during the 2021-22 season to score 10+ in the first 11 games.

It was announced on Monday that Cole was named the OVC Player of the Week. He averaged 25.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1% from the floor last week. He was second on the team in minutes played averaging 36.4 a contest. Cole also went 10-12 from the foul line.

OVC Top Ten
With his average of 18.3 points per game, Cole ranks second in the conference in scoring. His 201 total points also ranks second in the OVC. Not only his he effective from the floor, but Cole's 81.0% from the FT ranks seventh in the OVC. Cole's 51 made foul shots also ranks first. He is averaging the fourth most minutes in the conference (33.2). Cole also ranks ninth in FG% sitting at 44.5%.

Darius Beane officially moves into the top ten this season in the OVC in scoring after bumping up his average to 14.5 ppg. He has now scored in seven straight games in double-figures while ranking second on the team in scoring. Among qualified players in the OVC, he ranks fifth in FG% after shooting 49.2% from the field. 

Colin Ruffin has also been active on defense averaging the third most steals in the entire conference with an average of 1.5. He has a total of 17 steals this season during his freshman campaign which is third in the OVC.

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 Missouri State
The Bears are coached by Dana Ford who is entering his sixth season at the helm at Missouri State. After a 12-8 conference record last season, he became the first coach in program history to earn at least 12 wins in MVC play in three consecutive seasons. Ford currently has a 7-4 record this season before their matchup vs. Lindenwood.

Missouri State has four players currently averaging double digits but are led by leading scorer Alston Mason who is averaging 17.1 points per game. Mason is shooting 48.6% from the floor while making 40.7% of his three-point attempts. Donovan Clay, who was second team All-MVC last season, is second on the team averaging 15.5 points 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 finish their non-conference play this Friday at home against Division III opponent Rockford at 6:00 p.m. CT before rolling into OVC play on Dec. 31 vs. Southern Indiana. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.