Game #22
Lindenwood (7-13, 1-6 OVC)
vs. SEMO (7-14, 2-6 OVC)
Match Information:
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: 2-2
Last Meeting: W, 74-68
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Watch
KCLC: Radio

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team returns home on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Hyland Arena to take on the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State at 7:30 p.m. CT. This marks the first of four straight home games for Lindenwood.

The Lions are coming off a 76-67 loss at UT Martin which saw LU cut the lead to as close as five points down the stretch. Lindenwood was held to just 37.7% shooting on Saturday while the Skyhawks shot 12-24 from three-point range. The loss marks the fifth straight in conference play.

SEMO currently ranks tied for eighth in the conference standings with an OVC record of 2-6. The Redhawks hanged tough on Saturday but suffered a 61-66 loss at Little Rock. On the season, they are 0-4 in OVC road games and are 0-10 on the road overall.

During OVC competition, the Lions are averaging 64.1 ppg which ranks last among all OVC teams. They are shooting 41.6% during those games which ranks eighth. Throughout the entire season, LU is averaging 66.2 points a game behind the Lion's two leading scorers Keenon Cole (18.9 ppg) and Darius Beane (12.6 ppg). The duo combines for 47.5% of Lindenwood's scoring.

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
Jeremiah Talton is one of five players this season to play all 21 games during his first year at Lindenwood. In his 17 starts, Talton has become the third leading scorer for the Lions averaging 7.4 points per game while shooting 42.7% from the floor.

After being held scoreless against Eastern Illinois, Talton has scored in double figures in back-to-back games. Against UT Martin he shot 5-8 from the field posting 11 points. Before that he scored 12 points on 3-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Talton has scored in double-digits seven times this season posting a season high of 15 points vs. Rockford. He has made multiple three-pointers in a game 10 times this season and he leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (37.3%) and tied for the lead in total three-point field goals (28).

OVC Top Ten
Keenon Cole jumped into second in the OVC last week in scoring while averaging 18.9 points per game. He trails only Jordan Sears from UT Martin in total points this season. He also ranks eighth in free-throw percentage at 80.4% and fourth in minutes averaging 33.6. Cole also ranks T-10th in rebounds averaging 6.3 this season.

Darius Beane can also score for the Lions averaging 12.6 points per game this season ranking just outside the top ten at 20. His field goal percentage ranks fifth in the OVC at 47.1%. Beane is second in most offensive categories behind Cole.

Colin Ruffin is averaging 1.3 steals per game as a freshman this season which ranks 10th in the conference. He is one of two Lindenwood player with over 20 steals this season (26).

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 Southeast Missouri
The Redhawks are led by fourth year head coach Brad Korn who has a career record of 51-65. Korn led SEMO to an NCAA Appearance last season after winning the OVC Conference Championship. He helped SEMO become the first #5 seed to ever win the OVC Tournament.

Rob Martin leads SEMO on the offensive end averaging a team-high11.6 points per game. Martin has started all 21 games for the Redhawks while shooting 42.4% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range. He scored 11 points in the first meeting vs. Lindenwood's defense.

Josh Ealry averaged just below 10 points this season at 9.3 ppg. He has scored in double digits eight times this season including five times in conference play. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds and shoots 58.5% from the field. He scored 16 points to lead his team against LU earlier this month.

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 continue their home stretch as they enter the month of February. On Thursday, Feb. 1, Lindenwood will take on Western Illinois at 7:30 p.m. CT in Hyland Arena. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.