Men's Basketball Season Update

Although there have been many schedule changes, the men's Lions basketball team has been able to have a successful first semester for their 2020-2021 season.

The Lions started their season with a home game against Valley City State University, in which they fell short 97-68. Following their season opener, they had some very close games but were unable to see a victory for a while.

It was at Free Lutheran Bible College that the Lions saw their first wins of the season. They came away with two very sound victories, beating FLBC 114-59 and 108-66. These wins set the Lions up for success for the rest of the first semester.

The Lions then traveled to Ankeny, IA for their last two matches of the semester. Their first match would be against Faith Baptist Bible College, a team whom they had previously lost to this season. However, the Lions forced a different outcome as they beat FBBC 90-76. The Lions finished the December schedule with a victory over Calvary University, winning 93-64. These two NCCAA wins were huge as the Lions proved that they could defeat the #1 and #2 teams in the North Region from the previous season.

Statistically, the Lions currently have three athletes shooting at above a 41% from the three-point line. Junior, Khalil Bolden, and freshman, Marcellus Mencarini, both lead the team in total points with 137 each. They are followed closely by freshman, Elvis Perez, with 127. Bolden also leads the team in defensive steals with 28 and offensive assists with 41. Mencarini is next in assists with 29. Mencarini also leads in total rebounds with 48, followed by Khalil Bolden and Logan Klitzke with 44 and 43, respectively.

Coach Jordan Nowell had this to say about the Lion's season so far, "The first semester was a wild ride! Trying to navigate in a world of Covid while still trying to give the guys a good experience. We really started to get things figured out at the end of the semester and played well. Our two wins over Faith and Calvary really showed us what we are capable of. We took some losses from a couple of bigger schools but that made us better. I think our new guys and returners are starting to mesh well and we are learning to use everyone's strengths and abilities! Second semester will have a lot of unknowns but I'm excited for the potential of this group! I think we have all of the pieces to make a run at nationals!"