Complete Game Notes
Game #16: Missouri-St. Louis (7-7, 5-2 GLVC) at Lincoln (12-3, 4-3 GLVC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025
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 #17: Lincoln at Truman State (8-6, 2-4 GLVC)
Date: Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Kirksville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://trumanbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers
 
THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team will try to extend its six-game winning streak when it plays a pair of games, one home and one away, over the next five days. On Thursday (Jan. 16), the Blue Tigers close a three-game homestand by host Missouri-St. Louis in a 7:30 p.m. CST contest. On Monday (Jan. 20), Lincoln heads to Kirksville, Mo. to play Truman State at 7:00 p.m. CST. Monday's game was originally scheduled for Jan. 5, but had to be postponed due to icy weather. LU beat both Drury (65-63) and Southwest Baptist (67-45) at home last week and is undefeated since suffering a 10-point loss to Upper Iowa on Dec. 7.
 
FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday, Lincoln and Missouri-St. Louis will meet for the 38th time. UMSL leads the all-time series, 27-10.
 
- Lincoln last played Missouri-St. Louis during the 2021-22 season. The Tritons won that game at a neutral site, 80-72.
 
- LU and TSU, long-time rivals when both were members of the MIAA, will play one another for the 87th time on Sunday. Truman State leads the series, 50-36.
 
- The last two games between Lincoln and Truman State were both very close. On Nov. 28, 2017, Lincoln beat the Bulldogs in Kirksville in overtime, 85-84. The previous year, TSU won in Jefferson City, 72-71.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With nearly an average of a double-double per game, Franck Yetna (16.0 ppg., 7.3 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 3.8 assists to go with 11.9 points per contest. Mikey West is LU's other top scoring threat with 10.6 per game while Max Ekono averages 5.9 rebounds.
 
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 65, Drury 63
Drury nearly rallied from a nine-point deficit with just under four minutes to play, but Lincoln held off the Panthers to win, 65-63, on Thursday night (Jan. 9). Malcolm Davis made six three-point shots and scored 22 points to lead LU while Franck Yetna scored 14 and Max Ekono finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Lincoln 67, Southwest Baptist 45
LU's defense forced SBU to start the game 0-for-17 from the field and Franck Yetna scored 22 as the Blue Tigers beat the Bearcats, 67-45, in Jason Gym on Saturday (Jan. 11). Max Ekono grabbed 13 rebounds and Tyler Chapman had 16 points while Malcolm Davis chipped in 12 points.
 
SCOUTING THE TRITONS:  Matt Enright (13.8), Savon Wykle (10.8) and KC Udolisa (10.0) are all averaging at least 10 points per game, Emanuel Prospere II is next with 9.8 and Troy Glover II is averaging 7.6. Prospere leads UMSL in assists (2.9) and Glover averages a team-high 5.4 boards. UMSL is scoring 65.4 points per contest.
 
UMSL HEAD COACH BOB SUNDVOLD:  In 12 years at Missouri-St. Louis, Sundvold has led the Tritons to four 20-win seasons and has coached three GLVC Defensive Player of the Year winners. A former assistant of Norm Stewart at Missouri, Sundvold spent four seasons as the head coach at Missouri-Kansas City and also was the coach at Central Missouri for four years.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:  Truman State is 8-6 overall, but is getting out-scored 76.4-74.1 on average this season. Xavier Hall leads TSU with 13.4 points and 5.6 assists per game while Kobi Williams adds 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. Matt Haefner, who averages 7.9 points, leads Truman State with 5.2 rebounds per game, while Trey Shearer averages 10.8 points.
 
TSU HEAD COACH JEFF HORNER:  From 2020 through 2022, Horner led Truman State to three-straight NCAA Division II tournament bids and, at one point, had the Bulldogs ranked No. 2 in the country. During his six years at TSU, Horner has led the program to one GLVC tournament title, two regular season league championships and a nearly .750 winning percentage at home.
 
LIKE MIKEY:  Mikey West has scored in double figures five times this season, with the biggest performance coming in LU's one-point win over Quincy, as he scored 28 and dished eight assists. West scored a career-high 30 against Spurgeon and dropped 14 against both Lewis and Harris Stowe. Lincoln is 5-0 when West, who averages 10.6 points and 2.9 assists for the season, scores at least 12 points.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 39.8 rebounds per game, the 39th-most in Division II. LU averages 28.2 defensive rebounds, the second-most in the GLVC and the 30th-most in the nation. LU's 7.1 rebound margin is leading the league and is the 18th-best in the country, and Lincoln is 9-2 when out-rebounding opponents this year.
 
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have allowed opponents to shoot just .369 from the field, giving LU the best field goal defense in the GLVC and the second-best in NCAA Division II. Lincoln doesn't allow many points overall, as LU has the nation's second-best scoring defense (58.9). The Blue Tigers are also 29th nationally in blocks per game (4.3, the most in the GLVC).
 
ON THE LINE:  Through 15 games in 2024-25, the Blue Tigers have played in only one game in which they shot more free throws than their opponent. In fact, in terms of free throw attempts, Lincoln ranks 273rd out of 290 teams in NCAA Division II. When the Blue Tigers get to the line, they make the most of it, as Lincoln is 47th nationally and third in the GLVC in free throw shooting (.758).
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has been a force on the glass, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, the sixth-most in the GLVC. Yetna, who has three double-doubles on the year, is leading Lincoln in scoring (16.0) and ranks second in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.7) and fourth in total rebounds (110).
 
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:  The Blue Tigers travel to Lebanon, Ill. next Thursday (Jan. 23) to play McKendree at 7:30 p.m. CST.