Game Notes (PDF)

Date: January 28, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: St. Louis, MO 

Bolivar, Mo. - The Bearcats (10-2, 10-2 GLVC) continue their road stretch after playing in Springfield Tuesday evening, heading to St. Louis for Thursday/Saturday matchups against Maryville and Lindenwood.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
On Tuesday, the Bearcats had a historic win over Drury. Their 81- 46 final score was the largest margin of victory in matchup history. That win also sealed a season sweep of the Panthers, and three straight against Drury. In addition, SBU completed the sweep over all of the GLVC West, going 8-0 against their divisional opponents. Defense continues to be the key for the Bearcats, holding Drury to 18-54 from the field, 3-20 from deep. SBU has now won four straight.

In the GLVC, SBU still ranks 1st in scoring defense, allowing just 66.9 ppg. Their field goal % defense also ranks 1st at 39.1% and 8th in the nation. The teams ranks 2nd in scoring margin (+12.0) field goal % (48.6%), and rebounding offense (35.2). Two players sit in the top-15 in scoring, Quinn Nelson at 11th with 15.8 ppg, and Brady Smith at 13th with 15.4 ppg. Jumping to 8th in field goal % is Nelson, shooting a blazing 55.3% from the field. Mitch Ganote remains at 5th in assists, dishing 4.5 per game.

The Bearcats are coming off their best season in program history since 2009-10. Last year, the Bearcats finished 20-9 (13-7 GLVC). In the regular season rankings, the Bearcats finished fourth out of the sixteen GLVC teams. They upset #12 Southern Indiana and #1 Bellarmine both on the road, and defeated Drury at home for the first time in eight years. Eight players return from last year's roster. Second team All-GLVC honoree Brady Smith returns for his senior campaign. Two other starters from last season also return in juniors Quinn Nelson and Joe Miller. Sophomore Mitch Ganote was SBU's sixth man last season, and will play quite a bit during the 2020-21 season. The Bearcats will see several other new faces make an impact as well.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS
The Maryville Saints (St. Louis, MO) bring a 5-8 (5-8 GLVC) record into Thursday's matchup. They have been back and forth with wins and losses, going on just one three game losing streak. Coming as a surprise to nearly everyone, the Saints upset #7 ranked Truman State in St. Louis. That game hit a final score of 90-83 behind Owen Long's 30 points and Ari Jackson's 21 points. Maryville led that entire game, shooting lights out at 50.9% from the field. The next game, the Saints were blown out by Drury, losing 59-86. Most recently, Maryville lost to UMSL Tuesday evening by a score of 68-72. Daniel Farris and Owen long did most of the heavy lifting, scoring 22 and 20 points respectively. Long ranks 2nd in the conference in points per game at 21.4.

THE COACHES
SBU head coach Clark Sheehy begins his seventh season on the SBU bench after compiling an 82-92 (45-73 conf.) record while at SBU. Coach Sheehy holds a career coaching record of 264-198 across fifteen seasons while coaching six different All-Americans and over 40 athletes that have moved on to play professional basketball.

Jesse Shaw is in his first season with the Maryville Saints, but he is no stranger to the GLVC. Shaw spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons, helping guide them to their most successful year in program history last season. In his playing days, Shaw suited up for the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.

ALL-TIME SERIES
SBU leads the all-time series against the Saints, 5-0. Last year's matchups were decided by scores of 89-72 and 76-61. Brady Smith and Quinn Nelson scored double digits in both contests.