Weekend's Games At A Glance
• The Lindenwood men's basketball team opens its 2017-18 season this week at the MIAA/NSIC Classic in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. The Lions face Bemidji State on Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday game at 3 p.m. versus Minnesota Duluth. The MIAA's Central Missouri is the fourth team at the competition.
 
• The Lions faced Big East's Marquette last Saturday in an exhibition game. Lindenwood had a chance to win with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but that shot was just off the mark as the Golden Eagles survived by an 81-79 score.
 
• Lindenwood is coming off a 21-12 season one year ago, the first 20-win campaign since the program moved to the NCAA level. The Lions return their top four scorers from last season, including second-team all-MIAA Chandler Diekvoss and honorable mention pick Jackson Price. Diekvoss averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, while Price averaged 11.4 points, and knocked down 72 three-pointers.
 
• This is the second MIAA/NSIC Classic in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Last year, the Lions went 2-0 at the event, earning a 62-44 win over Bemidji State and a 78-72 victory over Minnesota Duluth. Those games were the first meetings all-time against Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth.
 
Lindenwood Notes
• In the Lance Randall era, Lindenwood has been led by its defense. The Lions are allowing just 67.2 points a game over the last two years. After ranking in the top-10 nationally in 2015-16, Lindenwood was 33rd last year by allowing 68.9 points a game.
 
• Lindenwood's offense took a step forward last season, avearging five points more per game than the previous year. The Lions also had a more balanced offense, with six players averaging over eight points a game, compared to three in 2015-16.
 
• Lindenwood knocked down 282 three-pointers last year, the second-most in school history for a season.  The Lions return 65.6 percent of their lineup in terms of three-point production.
 
• The Lions knocked down 14 three-pointers against Marquette. That mark would have been the sixth-most in program history if it came in a non-preseason contest.
 
• Five different players made three-pointers in the exhibition game, including four each by Brad Newman and Jackson Price.
 
• Adam Pohlman had a team-high eight assists against Marquette, and turned the ball over just two times. Last season, he ranked 21st in the nation with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

• Last year's leading scorer, Chandler Diekvoss, had 16 points versus Marquette. His final line included making six-of-11 shots from the field.
 
• Dominique Dobbs had five points and four rebounds versus the NCAA Division I program last week. He also blocked a team-high two shots. Last season, Dobbs had 33 blocks, and led the team in that category in 16 games.
 
• Lindenwood's two freshmen both performed well against the Golden Eagles. TJ Crockett was in double-figure with 11 points. He made four-of-seven from the field, including three-of-six from three-point range. Diego Womack made his only field-goal attempt in the game.
 
• Drew Moore was the top transfer in the Marquette game. He made both three-pointers he attempts, and finished with six points and one rebound in 10 minutes.
 
• Head coach Lance Randall is starting his third season as head coach of the Lions. He has a 37-26 mark at the school. He is in his tenth season as a collegiate head coach, and has won 158 games.
 
• Lindenwood hits the road on Nov. 15 with a 7 p.m. game against Truman in Kirksville, Mo. Last season, the Lions defeated Truman 94-83 in St. Charles, Mo.
 
A Look At The Beavers/Bulldogs
• Bemidji State returns four starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 10-18 overall and 8-14 in the NSIC. Thirteen of the 15 players on the team are sophomores and freshmen, including eight freshmen.
 
• Jai'Vionne is the top returning player for Bemidji State. He averaged 16.2 points a game, and made 46.8 percent of his three-point attempts.
 
• Minnesota Duluth is coming off a 4-25 season last year. It returns four starters from that squad. This season, it fell in an exhibition game with Wisconsin-River Falls by a 61-60 margin.
 
• Kyle Schalow was named a preseason Player To Watch in the NSIC. He started every game last year and averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game.