Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will play its home opener tomorrow afternoon as the Lions welcome Missouri St. Louis to the Leggett & Platt Center. Tipoff from Robert Corn Court is slated for 3:30 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (0-2) vs. Missouri - St. Louis (2-1)
Date: November 18, 2017
Tip-Off: 3:30
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Robert Corn Court/Leggett & Platt Athletic Center (3,240)
Series Record: Lions lead 9-6
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (56-37 overall/at MSSU - 4th year). Bob Sundvold (185-166 overall/60-58 at UMSL - 13th year)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - ESPN Joplin - 101.3, 103.5 FM, AM 1560 KXMS 88.7 FM
Internet Audio: http://www.mssulions.com
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/mssu/mbball
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
These two teams haven't played each other since the 2006-07 season. The Lions own the series record 9-6 with a 7-1 mark at home and a 2-5 mark on the road. UMSL and MSSU played regularly from the Lions' first year in the MIAA until the 1996 season when UMSL left the conference. Southern owns the longest winning streak in the series when the Lions won three times in the 92-93 season, including a win in the MIAA Tournament. The two teams have split the last six games with each team winning on its own home court.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
CJ Carr ranks 25th nationally in minutes per game, while Elyjah Clark ranks 27th nationally in three pointers per game.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank 61st in fewest turnovers, while ranking 79th in fewest fouls and 86th in field goal percentage.
MIAA Individual Leaders
Carr leads the MIAA in minutes per game and steals per game, while Clark leads the league in three pointers per game, while ranking third in total three pointers made. Carr is fourth in the league in scoring, while Enis Memic is fourth in field goal percentage and Carr is fifth in assists per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank third in the MIAA in fewest fouls, while ranking fourth in both offensive rebounds and scoring offense and fifth in fewest turnovers.
Freshman of the Year
Elyjah Clark was the MIAA Freshman of the Year last season. His is the sixth Lion in the history of the program to earn that honor, joining Carlos Newberry (96-97), Carlos Escalera (99-00), Skyler Bowlin (07-08), Jason Adams (08-09), and Marquis Addison (10-11).
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 144-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Records A Breakin'
Elyjah Clark set new school records last season for single-season three pointers (89), single-season three-point attempts (225), and three pointers made per game (2.96). He also helped the Lions to set the school record for three's made in a season with 250.
Home Sweet Home
Missouri Southern can count on some of the best fan support in Division II. The Lions ranked 15th nationally in home attendance last season, averaging 1,487 n fans per game. That number ranked fifth in the MIAA.
Feeling Generous
CJ Carr set a new MSSU single-game record for assists against Pittsburg State last season with 16 in the game. The mark broke Eddin Santiago's mark of 15 set in 2000. The 16 assists were also the most in a single game in Division II last year.
Erase A Deficit
The Lions trailed by 14 at one point against Minnesota State last weekend. But a 20-6 run by the Lions erased that deficit to tie the game up late and force overtime.
Specialty Stats
This year, the Lions have forced 23 turnovers and are scoring 11.5 points off of the turnovers. Southern also is averaging ten points per game in second-chance points, 32 points per game in the point and 19.5 per game from its bench.
Taking Down The Best
With the win against Northwest Missouri in 2017, the Lions took out a No. 1 ranked opponent for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when Southern defeated Florida Southern in the Elite Eight. It also turned out to be the only loss that Northwest Missouri would suffer en route to the Division II National Championship.
Lions On The Radio
The majority of the Lions games this season can be heard on the Missouri Southern Radio Network in Joplin. Southern is partnering with Fox Sports Joplin, the Lions can be heard on 101.3 FM, 103.5 FM, 88.7 FM and AM 1560.
Lions on TV
All Missouri Southern conference home games will be brought to you live this season courtesy of KGCS TV in Joplin. Fans can catch the action over the air live on Digital Channel 22 as well as on local cable systems.
Up Next
The Lions will be in Sioux Falls, SD at the Sanford Pentagon on Thanksgiving weekend as Southern will participate in the Sanford Classic. Southern will take on Northern State at 12:30 pm on Saturday and Wayne State at 7:30 pm on Sunday.
