Game #11
Lindenwood (4-6, 0-0 OVC)
vs. IU Indy (5-7, 1-2 HL)
Match Information:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 14th, 2024
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Robert F. Hyland Arena
Tip-Off: 3:30 p.m. CT 
All-Time Series: 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 73-67
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Watch

Matchup
Lindenwood men's basketball continues their four-game homestand on Saturday when they take on newly re-branded IU Indy at 3:30 p.m. CT inside Hyland Arena. This marks the final non-conference game for the Lions as they look ahead to their Ohio Valley Conference schedule.

Coming into Saturday's matchup, the Lions are 4-6 on the season including picking up their win in their last game against Harris-Stowe by a final score of 99-53. It marked the fourth time this season Lindenwood has scored over 95 points and also the third time they have shot over 50.0% from the floor.

Lindenwood had five double-digit scorer in the win over the Hornets including a career-high 19 points from Nathan Johnson Jr. Johnson shot 7-11 from the floor including four three-point field-goals. Reggie Bass also reached double-figures for the second straight game after scoring 15 points. Aly Tounkara and Jalen Bouknight each chipped in 12 points off the bench while LU leading scorer Jadis Jones added 11.

IU Indy is led by first-year head coach Paul Corsaro who has led the Jaguars to a 5-7 record to start the season. The Horizon League has started conference play this season and IU Indy has gone 1-2 including back-to-back two point losses against Northern Kentucky and Purdue Fort Wayne. Their lone HL win came against Green Bay earlier this month.

Lindenwood is looking to end their non-conference portion of their schedule with five wins. Last season, Lindenwood traveled to Indianapolis, Ind. and defeated the Jaguars by a final score of 73-67. Lindenwood shot 45.1% from the floor during that game while going 22-27 from the foul line. The Lions created 14 turnovers against IU Indy last season.


Player to Watch
Reggie Bass is coming off his best game of the season vs. Harris-Stowe after scoring a season-high 15 points against the Hornets. Bass has now scored in double-figures three times this year including two straight after dropping 10 points at Ole Miss last week.

The former MAC Freshman of the Year is averaging 7.6 points per game while shooting 33.9% from the floor and 30.4% from three. In his last game, Bass had 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a season-high 5 assists. He also added two steals in the win.

OVC Preseason Rankings
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, Little Rock has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2024-25 season. Lindenwood was picked to finish ninth receiving 67 points, their most since joining the OVC.

Little Rock picked up 20 of the 22 first-place votes in the conference. Western Illinois (172 points), SIUE (151 points, 2 first-place votes) and Tennessee State (134) rounded out the top four in the OVC. Defending OVC Champions Morehead State were selected to finish fifth this season followed by Eastern Illinois, SEMO, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood, UT Martin and Tennessee Tech.

The Ohio Valley Conference also selected two 'Players To Watch" from each OVC school to start the upcoming season. Talton and newcomer Browning were tabbed as Lindenwood's players to watch for the 2024-25 season. 

IU Indy Stats To Know
Paul Zilinskas ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring this season after averaging 18.8 points a night. The 6-5 Graduate Student has scored in double-digits in 11 straight games including a season-high 32 points against Alabama A&M. He is currently shooting 46.8% from the floor, 45.9% from three and 88.6% from the foul line.

Jarvis Walker has also started all 12 games for the Jaguars this season and is averaging 16.3 points per game ranking fifth the the Horizon. The Muskegon, Mich. native has scored over 20 points five times this season including three out of his last four games.


Head Coach: Kyle Gerdeman
Kyle Gerdeman is entering his sixth year at the helm of the Lindenwood men's basketball program in 2024-25.

During the 2023-24 season, Gerdeman coached Keenon Cole to second team all-conference honors. The Streamwood, Ill.native averaged 18.1 points per game, which ranked fourth in the OVC. Cole poured in a career-high 42 points in a 74-68 road win over SEMO on January 11. For his performance, Cole was tabbed the OVC Player of the Week as well as being recognized as one of the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week. 
 
In 2022-23, Lindenwood earned a spot in the OVC Championship tournament after a wild ending to the year.  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) during the 2022-23 season.  Chris Childs held the top spot in the league with a free-throw percentage of 92.7, while 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
Lindenwood starts Ohio Valley Conference play next week as the Lions take on Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Dec. 19th at 7:30 p.m. CT. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.