Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will head out of conference this weekend as the Lions will travel to Quincy, Ill. to participate in the Quincy Holiday Classic. The Lions will face off with Quincy on Saturday at 3:15 pm and play Truman on Sunday at 1 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (4-5, 2-2 MIAA) vs. Quincy (2-7, 0-3 GLVC) / Truman (4-4, 1-1 GLVC)
Date: December 16-17, 2017
Tip-Off: 3:15 pm Saturday, 1 pm Sunday
Location: Quincy, Ill.
Site: Pepsi Arena
Series Record: vs. Quincy, QU leads 3-1. vs. Truman, Southern leads 27-17
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (60-40 overall/at MSSU - 4th year). Ryan Hellenthal (2-7 overall/at Quincy - 1st), Chris Foster (66-33 overall/at Truman - 4 years)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - Fox Sports Joplin - 101.3, 103.5 FM, AM 1560 KXMS 88.7 FM
Internet Audio: http://www.mssulions.com
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/quincy
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/quincy/mbball
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
This is just the fifth matchup with Quincy for the Lions and Southern trails the series 3-1. The Lions did win the last game between the two teams, 81-70 in 2003. Against Truman, the Lions have a 27-17 record against the Bulldogs as Truman was a member of the MIAA until the 2011-12 season. Southern has won the last ten games in a row over Truman.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Elyjah Clark ranks 18th nationally in three pointers per game, while ranking 28th in total threes and 65th in three point percentage and 66th in three pointers attempted. CJ Carr ranks 37th in assists per game, while ranking 46th in steals per game and 67th in minutes per game.
MIAA Individual Leaders
Carr leads the MIAA in assists per game, while ranking second in minutes, third in steals and fourth in total assists. Clark ranks second in the MIAA in three pointers per game and total three's. He also ranks third in three point attempts and fourth in minutes. Kinzer Lambert ranks fourth in total blocks.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank fourth in assists per game, blocks per game and feweest fouls, while ranking fifth in fewest turnovers, three point percentage and total blocks.
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 151-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Keys To Winning
The Lions are 4-0 this year when out shooting their opponents and 3-0 inside the friendly confines of the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
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 rank 10th nationally in home attendance this season, averaging 1,498 n fans per game. That number is fourth in the MIAA.
En Fuego
Elyjah Clark started the game against Lincoln on fire. He made his first four three pointers and added in a layup as he scored the Lions first 14 points of the game to put Southern up 14-4 two minutes in.
Career High
The six three pointers for Clark against Lincoln were a new career-high for the sophomore and he followed it up with six against Lindenwood.
Near School Record
The Lions went 14-32 from the three point line against Lincoln. The 14 three's made were one off the single-game record and the 32 attempts were one off the single-game mark.
Triple Digits
Jeff Boschee coached game number 100 against Lindenwood last weekend. He is 60-40 in his career as a head coach.
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.
Career Night
Kinzer Lambert set new career highs for points (26), field goals (10) and assists (8) against Lindenwood last weekend.
Series Records Against Quincy/Truman
This is just the fifth matchup with Quincy for the Lions and Southern trails the series 3-1. The Lions did win the last game between the two teams, 81-70 in 2003. Against Truman, the Lions have a 27-17 record against the Bulldogs as Truman was a member of the MIAA until the 2011-12 season. Southern has won the last ten games in a row over Truman.
Runs A Comin'
Against UMSL, the Lions went on three separate runs that helped facilitate the win. The Lions finished the first half on an 11-1 run and went on separate 9-0 and 7-0 runs in the second half.
Full-Court Winner
Wayne State hit a late three pointer to tie the game against the Lions last week, but with less than six seconds on the clock, Braelon Walker took the in-bounds pass and drove the length of the court to hit a running left-handed layup to win the game for the Lions as time expired.
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 off for Christmas break, but Southern will play host to Oklahoma Wesleyan on December 30 and Randall on January 2.
