Complete Game Notes
Game #8: Lewis (4-2, 1-0 GLVC) at Lincoln (5-2, 0-2 GLVC)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
 
Game #9: #21 Upper Iowa (6-1, 1-0 GLVC) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
 
THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team will make history this week as it plays in its first-ever home GLVC games. The Blue Tigers, who joined the league as full members this past summer, will open its conference home game slate on Thursday (Dec. 5) by hosting Lewis at 7:30 p.m. CST. On Saturday (Dec. 7), Lincoln takes on Upper Iowa in Jason Gym, with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers opened the season 5-0, but have dropped their first two GLVC games of the season to Southwest Baptist and Missouri S&T. Lewis enters the week 4-2 overall and having won two-straight contests, including beating Indianapolis, 88-82, on the road for a 1-0 start to the league season. Upper Iowa, meanwhile, is ranked No. 21 in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll and is 6-1.
 
FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday, Lincoln and Lewis will meet for just the second time. The only other time these teams played one another was in 1971-72, when the Flyers eked out an 86-85 victory.
 
- LU and Upper Iowa will meet for the third time this week. Lincoln has won each of the previous two games in the series, most recently beating the Peacocks, 61-59, in Kansas City in 2019-20.
 
- Lincoln's last win over a ranked team came against #22 Missouri Western on Jan. 24, 2024.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With nearly an average of a double-double per game, Franck Yetna (14.4 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) is leading Lincoln in the early part of its 2024-25 season. Xavier Ball is next with 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while Tyler Chapman is averaging 3.9 assists to go with 11.3 points per contest. Tyson Robinson averages 5.7 points and Malcolm Davis is tallying 4.6 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 90, Clarke 52
Tyler Chapman scored 25 points, Franck Yetna finished with 11 points and nine boards and Max Ekono added nine points as the Blue Tigers beat Clarke, 90-52, on the morning of Nov. 25. Mikey West grabbed six rebounds and Malcolm Davis finished with 11 points as Lincoln improved to 5-0 on the season.
 
Southwest Baptist 75, Lincoln 56
Lincoln tasted defeat for the first time in 2024-25 as Southwest Baptist shot .531 from the field en route to a 75-56 victory on Saturday (Nov. 30) in Bolivar, Mo. Franck Yetna led Lincoln with 15 points and seven rebounds while Caleb Wright scored 10.
 
Missouri S&T 72, Lincoln 54
The Blue Tigers led by seven with just over nine minutes left in the first half, but the Miners used a big run to close the half and shot .640 after the break to beat Lincoln, 72-54, in Rolla, Mo. on Monday (Dec. 2). Max Ekon paced LU with 15 points and Franck Yetna scored 11.
 
SCOUTING THE FLYERS:  Four Lewis players are averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Paxton Warden (14.3 ppg.), who also leads the team with 4.3 assists per game. Rob Stroud is the top rebounder for Lewis (6.5 rpg.) and he scores 14.0 per night while Jaylin Gibson averages 13.3 points per contest. Devon Vanderheydt closes out LU's double-digit scorers with 13.0 ppg. Gibson averages 3.2 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals and Ryan Renfro is scoring 8.3 per game.
 
LU HEAD COACH SCOTT TROST:  The all-time wins leader at Lewis, Trost is in his 19th season with the program. Under Trost's leadership, the Flyers have posted 16 winning seasons, including five 20-win campaigns, and have won the GLVC title in both 2016 and 2021. Trost has coached two players who have earned GLVC tournament MVP honors: Max Strus, who is currently in the NBA, and Artese Stapleton, who starred for the Blue Tigers in 2022-23.
 
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS:  Nick Reid, with 20.0 ppg. and 10.3 rpg., averages a double-double while also tallying 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per contest. Noah King scores 19.9 ppg. and Kyle Hrncir is next with 11.9. Rounding out Upper Iowa's main scorers are Caleb Delzell, who averages 7.7 ppg., and Gavin Hershberger, who averages 7.9 points.
 
UIU HEAD COACH BROOKS McKOWEN:  In 12 seasons leading the Peacocks, McKowen has posted nine winning seasons and has led UIU to three NCAA Division II tournament berths. In 2021-22, he led Upper Iowa to 26 victories, a DII record.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 41.6 rebounds per game, the 28th-most in Division II. LU averages 29.3 defensive rebounds, the most in the GLVC and the 19th-most in the nation. LU's 7.9 rebound margin is the second-best in the league as well as the 30th-best in the country.
 
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have allowed fewer than 20 points in the first half of two games this year and are currently eighth in NCAA Division II in field goal defense (.376) and have the nation's third-best scoring defense (59.6). The Blue Tigers rank third in the GlVC and 58th in the country in blocks (3.9) and are also third in the GLVC in three-point defense (.315).
 
FIVE-AND-OH:  For the second-straight season, Lincoln began the year 5-0, with the Blue Tigers also posting a 4-0 record in Jason Gym for the third-consecutive start to a campaign. A win on Thursday would give Lincoln its best start at home since winning its first five games in Jason Gym in 2020-21. If LU wins both games this week, it will be 6-0 at home for the first time since 2015-16.
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has been a force on the glass, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game, the 53rd-most in NCAA Division II. Yetna, who had a 19-point, 14-rebound day against Auburn-Montgomery, is leading Lincoln in scoring (14.4) and is second in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.9, the 57th-most in Division II).
 
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 steps out of conference play to host Spurgeon next Thursday (Dec. 12) at 7:00 p.m. CST.