Complete Game Notes
Game #29: No. 5 Lewis (17-10) vs. No. 4 Lincoln (20-8)
Date: Friday, March 7, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Tickets: Available at www.GLVCSports.com
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/
Live Stats: https://glvcsports.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Radio: 88.9 FM KJLU - www.KJLURadio.com
 
THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team is back in the postseason for a third-straight year, as the Blue Tigers begin play in their first-ever GLVC tourney this weekend. On Friday (March 7), Lincoln plays Lewis in the tournament quarterfinals at 12:00 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers have the No. 4 seed in the tournament while the Flyers are the No. 5 seed. The winner will advance to play on Saturday (March 8) at 12:00 p.m. CST against the winner of the game between No. 1 Missouri S&T and No. 8 McKendree. Lincoln finished the regular season 20-8, its first 20-win season since going 20-7 in 2000-01. Lewis was 17-10 overall while both teams went 12-8 in GLVC play. Every game of the 2025 GLVC Championship will be played at Lindenwood University's Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
FAST BREAKS
- This will the fourth meeting all-time between Lincoln and Lewis as well as the third meeting this season. The Blue Tigers lead the series, 2-1.
 
- Lincoln defeated Lewis in Jason Gym, 75-65, on Dec. 5.
 
- The Blue Tigers also won the rematch with the Flyers, 69-64, in Romeoville, Ill. on Feb. 8.
 
- Lincoln is seeking its first-ever tournament win as a member of the GLVC as well as a postseason victory for the second-consecutive year.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With 15.8 ppg. and 6.6 rpg., Franck Yetna leads Lincoln in scoring and is second in rebounding. Andreas Fuller averages 12.3 points and 6.0 boards while Tyler Chapman is scoring 13.4 points and a team-high 3.2 assists. Mikey West is next on the scoring list with 11.6 points per game while Max Ekono leads the Blue Tigers with 7.1 rebounds per night. LU's other key contributor is Malcolm Davis with 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
 
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 led by seven with 6:32 to play, but Missouri S&T, ranked No. 8 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' DII poll, rallied to edge the Blue Tigers, 79-75, in the final regular season game for both programs on Thursday, Feb. 27. Franck Yetna led Lincoln with 17 points while Tyler Chapman, Andreas Fuller and Max Ekono each scored 15.
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SCOUTING THE FLYERS:  Five Lewis players are averaging double digit points, led by Rob Stroud with 17.0 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. The leader in assists is Paxton Warden (2.9 apg.), who is also scoring 14.2 points per night, while Ryan Renfro averages 12.0 points and 6.1 boards. Anthony Sayles, Jr. (11.3 ppg.) and Devon Vanderheydt (10.6 ppg.) round out the Flyers' top scorers.
 
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 17 winning seasons, including five 20-win campaigns, and have won the GLVC title in both 2016 and 2021.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE:  Two Blue Tigers were named to the All-GLVC team after helping LU earn the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. Franck Yetna was named to the All-GLVC first team as well as the GLVC's All-Defensive team. Tyler Chapman, meanwhile, was selected to the All-GLVC second team.
 
AMONG THE BEST IN THE MIDWEST:  Lincoln is ranked eighth in the final Midwest Regional rankings of 2024-25. The regional rankings are used to determine who makes the NCAA DII tournament field, with the winners of the three conference championships in each region getting automatic bids. The final five at-large spots are given to the top-five non-tournament winners in the region.
 
NIFTY FIFTY:  With an 83-64 win at Rockhurst on February 20, head coach Jimmy Drew earned his 50th victory in his three-year tenure at Lincoln. Drew led LU to the second-biggest turnaround in Division II in his first season, leading the team to 17 wins after the Blue Tigers had won only four in 2021-22. Last year, Drew led LU to 15 wins, and, this season, guided Lincoln to a 20-8 mark in the regular season for 52 total career victories.
 
ATTACK THE GLASS:  Lincoln has been strong on the glass, pulling down 38.5 rebounds per game, the 43rd-most in Division II. LU averages 27.3 defensive rebounds, the third-most in the GLVC, and 11.3 offensive rebounds, also the third-most in the league. LU's 6.1 rebound margin leads the GLVC and is 22nd-best in NCAA Division II.
 
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have allowed opponents to shoot just .391 from the field, giving LU the best field goal defense in the GLVC and the fourth-best in NCAA Division II. Lincoln doesn't allow many points overall, as LU has the nation's seventh-best scoring defense (63.6). Lincoln is also 52nd nationally in blocks per game (3.9, the third-most in the GLVC).
 
QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has scored at least 10 points in 25 of LU's 28 games this season and leads the team with 15.8 points per contest. Yetna reached a season high with 34 points against Quincy and has six total games with at least 20 points. Yetna also has four double-doubles this season and is second on the team with 6.6 rebounds per contest.
 
FULL HOUSE:  Andreas Fuller has only played in 10 games this year, but he has made his presence felt. Since joining the active roster on Jan. 30, Fuller has averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals. In each of the last eight games, Fuller has scored at least 10 points, with a season-high 21 against Lewis on Feb. 8.
 
A FINE CHAP:  Tyler Chapman is leading Lincoln, and is ranked ninth in the GLVC, in assists with 3.2 per game. Chapman, who averages 13.4 points, is a fantastic shooter, with his .452 accuracy rate from three-point range ranking as the second-best in the league. For the season, Chapman is shooting .449 from the field and .862 at the line.
 
TO THE MAX:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Max Ekono, who averages 7.1 rebounds per contest, eighth-most in the GLVC. Ekono's 198 total rebounds are the sixth-most in the conference while his 5.1 defensive boards per game rates eighth. Ekono has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in each of the past five games.
 
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:  If Lincoln wins on Friday, it will play the winner of the game between Missouri S&T and McKendree on Saturday (March 8).