• The Lindenwood Lions continue their three-game road swing with a contest against the Central Missouri Mules. Both teams are coming off defeats last weekend.  

• Lindenwood is coming off a 52-61 loss over the Emporia State Hornets. The team enters the game tied for fourth, but just one win away from the top spot.
 
• Central Missouri is making its first appearance at home since Jan. 26. The Mules last game was a 81-93 loss to Missouri Southern State.

• The Lions and the Mules have played three times. Central Missouri leads the series 2-1.

Lindenwood Notes

• The Lions are second in the MIAA in field goal percentage with a mark of .475. There is three individuals in the top 10. Brett Thompson is fourth at 58 percent, Richie Thompson is fifth at 56 percent, and Cody Sorenson is 8th at 54 percent.

• Not only are the Lions second in the conference in field goal percentage they are tops in three other categories. The team is first in scoring (78.0), rebounding margin (+6.8), and defensive rebounds a game (27.6).

• This season's roster consists of five seniors and those seniors are leading the way. The group is scoring 68 percent of the team's average points per game.

• The Lions have made at least five threes in every game but twice this season. The team has made double digit threes four games this season. The season high in made threes was 12 against William Woods.

• When the Lions score at least 80 points the team is 8-0 and when the team scores over 70 the team is 11-3.

• Alex Bazzell has been the Lions go to scorer so far this season. He has led the team in scoring in 12-of-21 games.

• Senior Cody Sorenson has been strong from behind the three-point line. He has made at least two threes in every game but five. His high of the season was against Central Oklahoma when he made five.

• Lindenwood has shot 185 more free throws than its opponents. When the team shoots more free throws than its opponents, the team is 14-4. The Lions have made at least 10 free throws in every game but one. 

• The Lions have outrebounded its opponents this season by a 789-633 margin. When the team grabs more rebounds it is 14-1.

• Alex Bazzell has been a frequent visitor to the free-throw line. He has 210 attempts and has made 179. His makes and attempts are the most in all Division I and II.

• Over the past two seasons, the Lions have seen overtime numerous times. In 2011-12, the team played three overtime games. The team has already played in three over time games. The Lions have a 2-4 record in overtime since last season.

• Lindenwood has outscored its opponents in the second half in all but six games.

• Lindenwood has outscored its opponents in both the first half and the second half this season. But the second half has been the Lions best. The team has outscored its opponents 876-746 in the final 20 minutes.

• If the Lions hold their opponents to 69 points or less the team is 11-2. If the opposition scores more than 70 the team is 4-4.

• Earlier this season, Bazzell scored his 1,000 career point as a Lindenwood Lion. He becomes the ninth Lion in program history to reach the milestone.

• The Hyland Arena floor has been very good to the Lions since Brad Soderberg took over. In his first four seasons, Lindenwood is 49-8 at home.  

• For the first time in school history the Lions have had three consecutive 20 win seasons. All three seasons have been under the watchful eye of Coach Soderberg.

Central Missouri Notes

• The Central Missouri Mules come into the game with a record of 15-6 overall and 9-4 in MIAA play which is tops in the conference. The Mules have lost three straight games all on the road. The game against the Lions will be their first at home in almost three weeks.

• As a team Central Missouri is averaging 75.5 points a game on offense and is giving up 68.4 points on defense. The Mules are shooting 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the three-point line.

• Central Missouri is led by a trio of guys who score in double digit. Dominique Long leads the way with 15.1 points while Widgett Washington is second on the team with 12.0, and Charles Hammork scores 11.2. Lance Beckwith leads the team with 5.3 rebounds a game.  

• Kim Anderson is the head coach of Central Missouri and is in his 11th season at the helm.

Last Meeting

The Lions pulled the upset against Central Missouri on Feb. 2 at Hyland Arena 83-82. The contest started with Lindenwood taking an early lead. The first half was filled with runs and the Mules closed the half on a 15-5 run to take a three-point lead at the half. The Lions took the lead in the second half but allowed Central to claw back into the game. The Mules were leading with just over four seconds to play when Richie Thompson hit a pair of free throws to take the lead.