Complete Game Notes
Game #:14: Drury (6-6, 1-4 GLVC) at Lincoln (10-3, 2-3 GLVC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9, 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 #15: Southwest Baptist (6-5, 3-2 GLVC) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
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:  Fresh off its fourth-straight victory, the Lincoln men's basketball team is back in Jason Gym to host a pair of GLVC opponents this week. On Thursday (Jan. 9), Lincoln plays Drury in Jefferson City at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers remain at home on Saturday (Jan. 11) to take on Southwest Baptist at 3:00 p.m. CST. LU is 10-3 on the year after opening 2025 with a hard-fought 70-69 road win at Quincy last Friday (Jan. 3). Lincoln was supposed to play again on Sunday at Truman State, but the icy conditions across mid-Missouri led to that game being postponed, with a make-up date yet to be officially determined. Drury enters the week 6-6 and trying to end a three-game skid while Southwest Baptist is 6-5 and has dropped two in a row.
 
FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Drury will meet for the 20th time this week, with the Panthers leading the all-time series, 14-5.
 
- Drury and Lincoln have not played each other since Nov 25, 2017, when the Panthers beat the Blue Tigers, 100-90, in Springfield, Mo.
 
- On Saturday, LU and SBU meet for the 52nd time, with Southwest Baptist owning a 30-21 edge in the series.
 
- Saturday marks the first rematch of the 2024-25 season for Lincoln. The Blue Tigers played the Bearcats on the road on Nov. 30, with Southwest Baptist winning, 75-56.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With nearly an average of a double-double per game, Franck Yetna (15.7 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 3.8 assists to go with 12.0 points per contest. Mikey West is LU's other top scoring threat with 11.1 per game while Max Ekono averages 5.2 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:  In a back-and-forth game that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes, Lincoln got the better of Quincy, winning 70-69 in Illinois on Friday (Jan. 3). Mikey West scored 28 points and dished eight assists while Malcolm Davis was next with 14 points. Franck Yetna finished one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 13 to go with nine boards, and Tyson Robinson provided 11 points.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS:  Zach Howell leads three Drury players in double figures with 14.7 points per game. Juok Riak averages 14.2 points while Logan Applegate averages 11.7. Colin Hardrick, who averages 7.8 points, leads the Panthers in rebounds (6.8) and assists (2.7) per game.
 
DU HEAD COACH CHRIS FOSTER:  In 11 years as a head coach, Foster has won over 150 games in stints with Truman State, McKendree and now Drury. Foster, in his fourth season at Drury, led the Panthers to a 15-13 record last season, a six-game improvement from 2022-23. He played at Northern Iowa, scoring over 1,000 career points.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Three Southwest Baptist players are scoring in double figures, led by Drenin Dinkins, who leads SBU with 17.3 ppg. Mitch Ganote is next on the scoring chart with 15.2 ppg. and averages 4.9 rebounds to go with a team-high 4.3 assists. Jevin Sullivan is averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 boards while Sasha Glushkov is the team leader in rebounding (7.0).
 
SBU HEAD COACH AARON NIVEN:  Niven is in his second season as the head coach of the Bearcats after five years as the team's assistant coach. SBU went 90-48 during his five years as the assistant with three 20-win seasons. Niven previously coached at Spring Hill, leading the Badgers between 2013-18 as they transitioned from an NAIA program into NCAA Division II.
 
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 11.1 points and 2.8 assist for the season, scores at least 12 points.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 40.5 rebounds per game, the 32nd-most in Division II. LU averages 28.5 defensive rebounds, the second-most in the GLVC and the 25th-most in the nation. LU's 6.8 rebound margin is the second-best in the league and the 27th-best in the country, and Lincoln is 7-2 when out-rebounding opponents this year.
 
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have allowed opponents to shoot just .374 from the field, giving LU the best field goal defense in the GLVC as well as the third-best in NCAA Division II. Lincoln doesn't allow many points overall, as LU has the nation's second-best scoring defense (59.6). The Blue Tigers are 19th nationally in blocks per game (4.6, the most in the GLVC).
 
ON THE LINE:  Through 13 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 276th out of 290 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 50th nationally and fourth in the GLVC in free throw accuracy (.758).
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has been a force on the glass, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in the GLVC. Yetna, who has three double-doubles on the year, is leading Lincoln in scoring (15.7) and ranks second in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.9) and third in total rebounds (102).
 
BLOCK PARTY:  Lincoln is averaging 4.6 blocks per game, the most in the GLVC and the 19th-most in Division II. Franck Yetna and Matthieu Biembongo each have 18 blocks on the year, tying for the second-most in the conference. Nationally, Yetna and Biembongo are tied for 57th in total blocks and 67th in blocks per game (1.4).
 
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 just one game next week, hosting Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday (Jan. 16) at 7:30 p.m. CST.