Complete Game Notes
Exhibition: Lincoln (8-3) at Missouri State (5-5)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Springfield, Mo.
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=548129
Live Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c7097fa1-51dc-479d-a788-a0e885371e1f
 
Game #12: Lincoln vs. Ohio Dominican (3-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
 Site: Mattoon, Ill. (at Lakeland College)
Live Stats: https://ohiodominicanpanthers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
 
THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team closes the 2024 portion of its schedule this week with a pair of games away from Jason Gym. On Wednesday (Dec. 18), the Blue Tigers travel to Springfield, Mo. to play Division I opponent Missouri State in an exhibition contest set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. CST. On Sunday (Dec. 22), Lincoln ends its December slate as well as its non-conference schedule with a neutral site game vs. Ohio Dominican. That game, which will start at 1:00 p.m. CST, will be played at Lakeland College in Mattoon, Ill. Lincoln is 7-0 against non-GLVC opponents in 2024-25 and, with a win over Ohio Dominican, would finish the non-conference slate undefeated.
 
FAST BREAKS
- Wednesday's game against Missouri State will stream online via ESPN+ with announcers Mike McClure and Jay Spoonhour handling the call.
 
- The series between Lincoln and Missouri State, which were rivals in the MIAA from 1970-71 to 1981-82 when the Bears were a Division II program, dates back to 1954.
 
- Wednesday marks the 39th meeting between MSU and LU, with Missouri State leading the series, 22-16. The Bears are 17-7 alltime in games played in Springfield.
 
- Lincoln and Ohio Dominican meet for the first time ever on Sunday afternoon.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With nearly an average of a double-double per game, Franck Yetna (16.5 ppg., 7.8 rpg.) is leading Lincoln in the early part of its 2024-25 season. Xavier Ball is tallying 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while Tyler Chapman is averaging 4.0 assists to go with 10.4 points per contest. Max Ekono enters the week averaging 6.6 points while Malcolm Davis is tallying 4.5 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 95, Spurgeon 52
Mike West poured in 30 points, Franck Yetna had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Max Ekono added 10 points and seven boards as Lincoln cruised to a 95-52 home win over Spurgeon on Thursday night (Dec. 12). West and Tyler Chapman each had five assists and Matthieu Biembongo tallied eight rebounds as LU out-gained the Knights on the glass, 49-30.
 
Lincoln 76, Mission 52
Max Ekono finished with 11 points, nine boards and seven assists to help lead Lincoln to a 76-52 win over Mission in Jason Gym on Monday (Dec. 16). Franck Yetna led the Blue Tigers with 17points and Tyson Robinson was next with 16.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS:  Dez White leads the Bears with 18.6 points per game, Jalen Hampton averages close to a double-double (9.8 ppg., 8.6 rpg.) and Vincent Brady adds 14.1 points per game for a Missouri State team that averages 77.1 points per night. Zaxton King averages 10.3 ppg. and Michael Osei-Bonsu averages 7.5 rpg.
 
MSU HEAD COACH CUONZO MARTIN:  The former coach at Missouri and Tennessee is in his second stint as head coach of Missouri State, with Martin owning a 66-46 record with the Bears. He has led his teams to nine postseason appearances including four trips to the NCAA tourney and a CIT title. A graduate of Purdue who played four seasons professionally, Martin also was the head coach at California from 2014-17.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS:  Ohio Dominican is scoring 70.6 points while allowing 64.4 per game, but enter the week with a 3-6 record. The Panthers are led by JeJuan Weatherspoon with 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while Terrance Broughton, who leads MSU with 3.2 assists per night, averages 10.6 points. Also among ODU's scoring leaders is Elijah Hinton, who averages 10.0 points and 6.9 boards.
 
ODU HEAD COACH CASEY KAUFMAN:  In his second season at Ohio Dominican, Kaufman has an 8-28 record with the Panthers. Prior to taking over at ODU, Kaufman spent eight seasons as the head coach at Malone, where he had a winning record in seven campaigns, highlighted by a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2021.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 41.0 rebounds per game, the 23rd-most in Division II. LU averages 28.6 defensive rebounds, the third-most in the GLVC and the 31st-most in the nation. LU's 6.5 rebound margin is the third-best in the league as well as the 38th-best in the country, and Lincoln is 5-2 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 third in NCAA Division II in field goal defense (.373) and have the nation's third-best scoring defense (59.7). The Blue Tigers are leading the GlVC while rating 16th in the nation in blocks (4.9) and second in the GLVC in scoring margin (+11.9).
 
ON THE LINE:  Through 11 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 41st nationally and fourth in the GLVC in free throw accuracy (.765).
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has been a force on the glass, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, the 72nd-most in NCAA Division II. Yetna, who has three double-doubles on the season, is leading Lincoln in scoring (16.5) and ranks second in the conference in offensive rebounds (3.2, the 35th-most in Division II).
 
BLOCK PARTY:  Lincoln is averaging 4.9 blocks per game, the most in the GLVC and the 16th-most in NCAA Division II. Franck Yetna and Matthieu Biembongo each have 17 blocks on the year, tying for the most in the conference. Nationally, Yetna and Biembongo are tied for 30th in total blocks and 42nd in blocks per game (1.6).
 
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:  After the holiday break, Lincoln heads to Quincy, Ill. to play Quincy on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. CST.