Complete Game Notes
Game #10: Spurgeon (9-2) at Lincoln (6-3)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
 
Game #11: Mission (2-7) at Lincoln
Date: Monday, Dec. 16, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
 
THE TIP OFF:  Two more home games await the Lincoln men's basketball team as the Blue Tigers step away from GLVC play until January. On Thursday (Dec. 12), the Blue Tigers host Spurgeon at 7:00 p.m. CST. Lincoln is back on the hardwood on Monday afternoon (Dec. 16) to host Mission at 2:00 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers won each of their first five home games this season before falling to Upper Iowa, then ranked No. 21 in the country in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, by a final score of 71-61 last Saturday (Dec. 7). This week's opponents are a Spurgeon team that has opened the season 9-2 and a Mission (formerly Bible Baptist) team that is 2-7 on the season. Monday will be the final time in 2024 that the Lincoln men will take the court in Jason Gym.
 
FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday night, Lincoln and Spurgeon will meet for the second time ever. The first meeting came last season, as the Blue Tigers beat the Knights in Jason Gym, 109-77, on Nov. 16, 2023.
 
- On Monday afternoon, Lincoln will play Mission for the first time ever. This will be the second-ever time that an LU team plays the Patriots, as the Lincoln women beat Mission, then called Bible Baptist, in 2023-24.
 
- Both teams compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With nearly an average of a double-double per game, Franck Yetna (16.6 ppg., 8.0 rpg.) is leading Lincoln in the early part of its 2024-25 season. Xavier Ball is tallying 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while Tyler Chapman is averaging 4.0 assists to go with 10.8 points per contest. Max Ekono enters the week averaging 5.8 points while Malcolm Davis is tallying 5.1 boards per night.
 
HEAD COACH JIMMY DREW:  In his third year as the head coach at Lincoln, Drew led the Blue Tigers to 17 overall wins and 13 conference wins, the latter a program record, in 2022-23. Drew has led LU to a pair of postseason appearances as well as a playoff victory in 2023-24. Drew came to Lincoln following a six-year run on the staff at Division I Central Florida, where he helped UCF make the second round of the NCAA tourney.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Lincoln 75, Lewis 65
Franck Yetna scored a game-high 24 points while three other Blue Tigers reached double figures as Lincoln beat Lewis, 75-65, in Jefferson City, Mo. last Thursday (Dec. 5). Mikey West finished with four assists and 14 points, Max Ekon scored 10 to go with six rebounds and Malcolm Davis added 10 points. Tyler Chapman dished seven assists.
 
Upper Iowa 71, Lincoln 61
Lincon rallied from a halftime deficit to take the lead, but Upper Iowa shot .519 in the second half to hold off the Blue Tigers, 71-61, on Saturday (Dec. 7) in Jefferson City. Franck Yetna scored 24 for the second-straight game and had 12 boards while Tyler Chapman added 10 points.
 
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS:  Spurgeon scores an average of 105.3 points per game with 10 Knights scoring at least nine per night. Jack Chamberlin leads Spurgeon with 23.0 points and 16.0 boards per contest while Jairus Allen averages 12.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg. and 3.6 apg. Zion Bourgeois (15.0 ppg.) and Joseph Allen (14.3 ppg.) also star for SC.
 
SC HEAD COACH WILLIAM LIVEZEY:  In just over two seasons, Livezey has turned Spurgeon into one of the best teams in the NCCAA. He is 43-18 entering this weekend and, last season, led the Knights to a third-place finish in the national tournament. Livezey broke into the college ranks at Cairn, where he helped the Highlanders win their first-ever conference tourney and regular season championships.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS:  Jacques Thomas averages a team-high 19.0 points while Eli'Jah Smith leads Mission with 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per night. The Patriots enter the week with a 2-7 record, are only being outscored by other teams by an average of 78.0-74.3. Kevin Sorrells, Jr. is next on the scoring chart with 10.5 points per contest, and Smith averages 9.6 points while Lawson Beem is next with 9.1.
 
MC HEAD COACH DALLAS MEINDERS:  The first-year head coach of Mission took over for his father, Darin, back in August. Darin, meanwhile, remains on the staff as Dallas' assistant coach. Dallas played college ball at Grand View, leading the team to a national tournament appearance while consistently leading the program in assists.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 40.4 rebounds per game, the 43rd-most in Division II. LU averages 28.2 defensive rebounds, the fourth-most in the GLVC and the 43rd-most in the nation. LU's 6.9 rebound margin is the third-best in the league as well as the 34th-best in the country, and Lincoln is 4-2 when out-rebounding opponents this year.
 
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have allowed fewer than 20 points in the first half of two games this year and are currently 16th in NCAA Division II in field goal defense (.388) and have the nation's sixth-best scoring defense (61.4). The Blue Tigers rank second in the GlVC and 44th in the country in blocks (4.1) and are fifth in the GLVC in scoring margin (+7.1).
 
ON THE LINE:  Through nine games in 2024-25, the Blue Tigers have yet to play in a game in which they shot more free throws than their opponent. In fact, in terms of free throw attempts, Lincoln ranks 259th out of 287 teams in NCAA Division II. When the Blue Tigers do get to the line, however, they have made the most of it, as Lincoln is 43rd nationally and fourth in the GLVC in free throw accuracy (.765).
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has been a force on the glass, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game, the 64th-most in NCAA Division II. Yetna, who has two double-doubles on the season, is leading Lincoln in scoring (16.6) and ranks second in the conference in offensive rebounds (3.0, the 41st-most in Division II).
 
BLOCK PARTY:  Lincoln is averaging 4.1 blocks per game, the second-most in the GLVC and the 44th-most in NCAA Division II. Franck Yetna leads LU with 12 blocks while Matthieu Biembongo is next with 11, the second and third-most in the league, respectively. Nationally, Yetna is 67th in total blocks while Biembongo is 91st
 
GET YOUR TICKETS:  Lincoln is partnering up with Hometown Ticketing once again to sell tickets to all of LU's basketball games online in 2024-25. For more information, or to purchase single game or regular season tickets, visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets.
 
JOIN THE CLUB:  The Blue Tiger Athletics Club is a great way to engage with other LU fans while supporting Lincoln student-athletes. Every dollar raised by the club goes towards scholarships, improving facilities and purchasing equipment. To join the BTAC, or to learn more, please visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/BTAC.
 
WATCH LIVE:  Fans who are unable to attend a game in person will still be able to cheer on the Blue Tigers to victory via The GLVC Network. Every LU home game will be broadcast through a new multi-camera system and can be seen at https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/.
 
GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Lincoln fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.
 
NEXT UP:  Lincoln plays an exhibition game at NCAA Division I Missouri State next Wednesday (Dec. 18) at 7:00 p.m. CST.