Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will head back on the road as Southern travels to St. Charles to take on Lindenwood Thursday night. Tip off from Hyland Arena is slated for 7:30 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (9-6, 4-2 MIAA) at Lindenwood (11-4, 3-3 MIAA)
Date: January 11, 2018
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hyland Arena
Series Record: Lions lead 5-4
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (65-41 overall/at MSSU - 4th year). Lance Randall (169-109 overall/48-30 at Lindenwood - 3rd year)
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: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/lindenwood/mbball
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
This is only the tenth meeting ever between the two schools and Southern leads the series 5-4Southern is 3-1 in Joplin and 2-3 in St. Charles. Southern picked up its largest victory in the series earlier this season in December when the Lions defeated Lindenwood 97-71 in Joplin.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
CJ Carr ranks 23th in assists per game and 34th in both total steals and steals per game, while ranking 29th in total assists. Elyjah Clark ranks 8th nationally in total threes made and threes per game, while ranking 21st in three pointers attempted and 40th in three point percentage.
MIAA Individual Leaders
Carr leads the MIAA in assists per game, steals per game, total assists and total steals, while Clark leads the league in three point attempts, total threes and three pointers per game.
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 157-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
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 1,440 n fans per game. That number is fourth in the MIAA.
Super Tuesday
The Lions won their first game of the year on a Tuesday night against Randall. In Jeff Boschee's tenure, the team is 5-0 on Tuesdays.
Three's Company
The Lions shattered the previous MSSU school record for three pointers in a game against Randall as Southern made 20 three pointers against the Saints. The previous record of 15 was set in 2003 against St. Gregory's.
Holy Points Batman
The Lions scored 110 points in a win over Randall. The 110 points were the most the team has scored since they scored 113 against Southwest Baptist in 2014.
Northwest Non-Norms
Northwest Missouri came into the game with the Lions averaging giving up 58.1 points per game and Southern scored 81 points against the Defending National Champions. The Bearcats also had averaged eight turnovers per game, while the Lions forced 11 Northwest miscues.
Scoring on the Champs
Northwest Missouri averaged 58.1 points per game on defense and up until the game with the Lions had only given up 70 points or more in two games this year with 78 points against Washburn being the high. The only other team to score more than the Lions did against the Bearcats this year was Division I Duke University who had 90 points on Northwest in an exhibition game.
Comeback Kids
The Lions trailed by as many as 15 points with eight minutes left in the first half against Northwest Missouri, but closed the half to trail by just three. Southern eventually led by ten twice in the second half and won by six points. Against Missouri Western, the Lions trailed by nine midway through the second half before making the comeback.
Triple Digits
Jeff Boschee coached game number 100 against Lindenwood this year. He is 65-41 in his career as a head coach.
CJ Taketh and Giveth
CJ Carr leads the MIAA in both steals and assists this season, while ranking 34th and 25th nationally in both those categories.
Clutch Free Throw Shooting
Southern was clutch at the charity stripe when it counted against Northwest Missouri. The Lions made 13-14 free throws in the final minute against the Bearcats.
High Scorer
CJ Carr scored 27 points against Northwest Missouri and that mark is the most points allowed to a single opposing player this year by the Bearcats.
Late Scoring
The Lions and Northwest Missouri combined to score 25 points in the final minute of the game.
Player/Coach of the Week
CJ Carr was named the MIAA Player of the Week, while coach Jeff Boschee was the hoopdirt.com Division II Coach of the Week.
Taking Down The Best ... Again
Northwest Missouri lost the final game of the 2015-16 season to eventual National Champion Augustana in the finals of the Central Region Championship. The Bearcats, since then, are 47-2 in their last 49 games, including the 2016-17 National Championship. Both losses have come at the hands of the Lions at home inside Leggett & Platt.
Game of Highs
The Lions either set or tied six career-highs for individuals in the game against Randall. CJ Carr (6) and Braelon Walker (2) tied career-highs in three's, while Colby Bullock set a career-high (1). Koray Gilbert (8) tied a career-high in rebounds, while LJ Ross and Vince Ftitz both had a career-high four assists.
Welcome To The Show
The Lions played freshman Christian Bundy for the game against Randall. The Nixa native had a productive 15 minutes with four points, two rebounds an assist and two blocks, going 2-2 from the field.
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
Southern will continue the road swing, with a game at Lincoln on Saturday. Tip off from Jason Gym is slated for 3:30 pm.
