Lindenwood junior Kevin Caldwell, Jr., had 14 points, seven assists, and played a game-high 36 minutes in the Lions’ 89-79 win over Westminster last Tuesday. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
Lindenwood Men’s Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 7 – Maryville Saints (5-1) at Lindenwood Lions (4-1)
Date/Time – Monday, November 29 – 7:30 pm
Location – Robert F. Hyland Arena – St. Charles, MO
Broadcast – GLVC Sports Network
Radio – KCLC 89.1 FM The Wood
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
After beginning the season with a series of fun and exciting non-conference games, the Lindenwood University men’s basketball team will start the important part of the season Monday night, when it hosts its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener at Hyland Arena against crosstown foe Maryville University.
Lindenwood (4-1) will hit the court on a nice little roll lately, as it has won four games in a row, including its last contest, this past Tuesday night, when the Lions defeated NCAA Division III foe Westminster College, 89-79.
Several Lindenwood players played their best game of the season in that matchup, including junior point guard Kevin Caldwell, Jr., who had 14 points and seven assists, and senior forward Brandon Suggs, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds, in the victory.
Maryville (5-1) is also on a four-game winning streak. And the Saints have been quite impressive lately, which includes a pair of blowout wins last week, when they hosted their own tournament, the Maryville Thanksgiving Classic.
The Saints blasted Lincoln University and East-West University, last Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. And they did it, in large part, with superior three-point shooting, which saw Maryville hit 24 three-pointers in the two games, as the Saints ran the Tigers and Phantoms right out of the building.
Lindenwood has won the last four matchups between the two clubs, including three in a row at Hyland Arena, dating back to 2015. Maryville’s last win in the series, came in its own building in December 2014. Lindenwood leads the all-time series, 6-2.
Players to Watch: Lindenwood features what may be the best one-two punch in the GLVC, and perhaps the entire country, in senior guard Jacoby Ross and senior forward Romelo Burrell.
Through the first month of the season, the duo ranks first and third in the conference in scoring, with Ross leading the league at 22.5 points per game and Burrell right behind at 20.2. Burrell also ranks third in the GLVC in rebounding at 9.2 boards per game.
The Lions also have one of the best sixth men off the bench in junior Brandon Trimble, who had a season-best 15 points, including four three-point makes, in Lindenwood’s win over Westminster last week.
Maryville also has a top notch guard-forward combo, in native St. Louisans, Ari Jackson and Cameron Scales. Jackson, a sophomore guard who went to CBC, leads the Saints in scoring at 12.5 ppg, and Scales, who went to Lafayette, averages 11.6 ppg.
Another of the five native St. Louisans, Maryville has on its roster, senior Daniel Farris, had 17 points and three steals in the Saints’ win over Lincoln last Wednesday.
Up Next: Lindenwood will host two more key GLVC games this week, with a matchup against Quincy University on Thursday, December 2, and a meeting with crosstown rival, UMSL on Saturday, December 4.
The game against Quincy is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m., while the matchup against UMSL will tip at 3 p.m.
Maryville will host McKendree on Thursday, then go on the road to play No. 2-ranked and preseason GLVC favorite Truman State on Saturday.
Probable Starters
Maryville (5-1) Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG
0 Dylan Ingram Fr. F 6-6 225 10.2 4.8
5 Daniel Farris Sr. G 5-11 195 9.5 4.0
10 J.T. Morgan So. F 6-7 210 5.3 3.2
11 Cameron Scales Sr. F 6-4 190 11.6 5.8
15 Ari Jackson So. G 6-4 195 12.5 3.7
Lindenwood (4-1) Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG
1 Jacoby Ross Sr. G 5-10 175 22.5 2.0
10 Karrington Davis So. F 6-6 215 3.2 2.8
11 Kevin Caldwell Jr. G 5-11 170 10.0 5.3
22 Brandon Suggs Sr. F 6-8 230 7.4 6.4
24 Romelo Burrell Sr. F 6-7 189 20.2 9.2
| Lindenwood Lions Men’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule |
| Mon., November 29 — vs. Maryville — 7:30 pm |
| Thu., December 2 — vs. Quincy — 7:30 pm |
| Sat., December 4 — vs. UMSL — 3 pm |
| Tue., December 14 — vs. Christian Brothers — 7 pm |
| Fri., December 17 — vs. Western Washington in Las Vegas — 8 pm |
| Sat., December 18 — vs. #6 West Texas A&M in Las Vegas — 6 pm |
| Sun., January 2 — at #2 Truman State — 3 pm |
| All Lindenwood home basketball games will be played at Robert F. Hyland Arena |