Complete Game Notes
Game #31: No. 4 Lincoln (22-8) vs. No. 2 Missouri-St. Louis (19-10)
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2025
Time: 1:00 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:  For the first time since 1987, the Lincoln men's basketball team will compete in a league tourney championship game on Sunday (March 9) when the Blue Tigers play Missouri-St. Louis in the finals of the GLVC tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CST as the Blue Tigers, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, take on the Tritons, the No. 2 seed. Lincoln reached the final game of the tournament by beating Missouri S&T, the No. 10 team in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll, by a final score of 87-64 in the semifinals on Saturday (March 8). UMSL, meanwhile, had two win a pair of overtime games to reach the championship, as the Tritons defeated Rockhurst, 77-70, in the quarterfinal round before edging Upper Iowa, 87-80, in the semifinals on Saturday.
 
FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Missouri-St. Louis will meet for the 39th time on Sunday. UMSL leads the series, 28-10.
 
- The Blue Tigers and Tritons played only once during the regular season. Missouri-St. Louis held a slim 29-27 lead at halftime in Jason Gym on Jan. 16, but out-scored Lincoln 40-24 in the second half for a 69-51 victory.
 
- A victory would give Lincoln the GLVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. It would mark the 13th time that the Blue Tigers have made the NCAA field (1959, 60, 61, 67, 68, 69, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78, 81).
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With 15.4 ppg. and 6.8 rpg., Franck Yetna leads Lincoln in scoring and is second in rebounding. Andreas Fuller averages 13.1 points and 6.3 boards while Tyler Chapman averages 13.7 points and a team-high 3.1 assists. Mikey West is next on the scoring list with 11.0 points per game while Max Ekono leads the Blue Tigers with 7.0 rebounds per night. LU's other key contributor is Malcolm Davis with 8.0 points and 4.6 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 trio 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:  Malcolm Davis led five Blue Tigers in double figures with 20 points as LU beat top seed Missouri S&T in the semifinals of the GLVC Championship, 87-64 on Saturday (March 8). Tyler Chapman added 17 points, Max Ekono scored 11 and Matthieu Biembongo finished with 12 while Andreas Fuller chipped in 15 points. Franck Yetna provided nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
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SCOUTING THE TRITONS:  UMSL averages 71.5 points and 34.0 rebounds, with Matt Enright leading the team in scoring with 16.4 ppg. Troy Glover II averages 10.2 points and a team-high 8.3 boards while Emmanuel Prospere II scores 12.8 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.
 
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 22-8 mark for 54 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. Lincoln'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 26 of LU's 30 games this season and leads the team with 15.4 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 6.8 rebounds per contest.
 
FULL HOUSE:  Andreas Fuller has only played in 12 games this year, but he has made his presence felt. Since joining the active roster on Jan. 30, Fuller has averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals. In each of the last 10 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 3.1 per game. Chapman, who averages 13.7 points, is a fantastic shooter, with his .456 accuracy rate from three-point range ranking as the second-best in the league. For the season, Chapman is shooting .450 from the field and .889 at the line.
 
TO THE MAX:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Max Ekono, who averages 7.0 rebounds per contest, eighth-most in the GLVC. Ekono's 209 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 five of the past seven 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:  A win definitely puts Lincoln in the NCAA Division II tournament. With a loss, LU will wait for the selection show to learn its fate.