No. 2 #19 IU South Bend vs. No. 6 Lincoln CCAC Tournament Semifinal Friday, Feb. 25 | 7:00 p.m. Student Activities Center | South Bend, Ind. Game Notes | Live Stats | Streaming Video

Tipoff

• No. 19 IU South Bend continues postseason play on Friday night, when they host Lincoln in the CCAC Tournament semifinals.
• The Titans have secured the No. 2 seed in the CCAC Tournament, finishing with a 19-3 record in league play
• Lincoln comes to South Bend as the No. 6 seed, after earning the upset win over No. 3 seeded IU Northwest.
• Dylan Allen leads the team with 14.4 points per game, while Donyell Meredith is averaging 14.3 points per game. Three Titans are averaging double figures this season, with Miles Tracy scoring 11.9 points per game.
• The Titans are averaging 83.3 points per game, good for 3rd-most in the CCAC. Lincoln has the 12th-ranked offense, averaging 70.9 points per game.
• The IUSB defense ranks 2nd in the CCAC, averaging 65.6 points allowed per game, their lowest average since 2012-13 (56.6 ppg). Lincoln ranks 4th, allowing 68.5 points per game.
• IU South Bend finished the first half of the season with an 11-3 record, the program's best-ever mark in the fall semester.
• Dylan Allen is the 20th player in IUSB history to score 1,000 career points, and after Wednesday's win over Judson, has collected 1,615 points. Allen now sits 2nd on the IUSB all-time scoring list. 
• Allen is also the Titans' all-time winningest player, having played in 82 victories since his freshman season of 2017-18.
• With his appearance against St. Ambrose on Saturday, Allen broke the program's all-time record for games played, now at 131 games.
• Donyell Meredith became the 21st Titan to reach 1,000 career points, on his first field goal in the win over St. Ambrose on Senior Day last Saturday. Meredith now has 1,041 career points, and is one point shy of Chris Beam (2011-14) to move into a tie for 18th on the all-time IUSB scoring list.
• The Titans are two-time defending CCAC Tournament champions, having qualified for the NAIA Tournament each of the past two years.
• Last season, IUSB won the CCAC Tournament title as the No. 15 seed, having played only two regular season games during the COVID pandemic.

Series History

• IU South Bend leads the series 3-0 over the Lynx, having first met last season during the CCAC Tournament.
• The Titans knocked out Lincoln in the CCAC quarterfinals last season, the first year for the Lynx as members of the conference.
• The Titans swept the season series over Lincoln, with an average margin of victory of 24.0 points per game.

About Lincoln

• The Lynx held an overall record of 9-16 at the start of the month, but have won six straight including an upset of No. 3 IU Northwest in the CCAC Tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday.
• Darnell Latham is the team's scoring leader, with 18.1 points per game (7th in CCAC). Latham is third in the conference with a total of 77 three-point field goals on the year.
• Aundrae Williams averages 10.1 points per game, and holds a 2.4 assist-turnover ratio (6th in CCAC), and 50 total steals (8th in CCAC).
• Head coach Edwind McGhee is in his first season as head coach at Lincoln. McGhee spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Lynx, and played for NCAA Division I DePaul from 2010-14.

Last Time Out

• Donyell Meredith posted a career-high 30 points to lead No. 19 IU South Bend, as the Titans opened the CCAC Tournament with an 85-80 victory over Judson on Wednesday night at the Student Activities Center.
• Meredith's performance is the first 30-point game for the Titans this season, and the first since Jan. 2, 2019. (Norell Smith, 32 vs. Akron-Wayne, Ohio). The junior finished 11-for-20 from the floor, 7-for-7 from the free throw line, and collected a team-high seven rebounds in the win.
• Three other players finished in double figures on the night, as Dylan Allen finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Miles Tracy and Kenny Washington both recorded 12 points, going 5-for-7 from the floor.
 

IUSB in the Polls

• The Titans were ranked No. 19 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the regular season, released on Wednesday, moving up one spot from their rank two weeks prior.
• The No. 19 spot in the NAIA is the highest national ranking in program history for IUSB. The Titans set previous all-time highs when they were ranked Nos. 20, 22, 24, and 25 earlier this season.
• IUSB earned their first-ever national ranking earlier this season, when they debuted at the No. 25 spot in the Coaches' Preseason Poll on Oct. 27.
• The Titans were picked first in the CCAC preseason poll on Oct. 25, ahead of Olivet Nazarene and Saint Xavier, who were ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
 

Student Activities Center

• Home of IUSB basketball and volleyball, the Student Activities Center is celebrating its 20th season as the Titans' home court.
• The Titans hold an all-time record in the SAC of 133-132 (.502).
• In 2019-20, IU South Bend recorded a all-time high of 14 wins in the Student Activities Center, going 14-2 at home.
• This season, the Titans are 13-2 at the SAC, and can match the program's record for home victories with a win over Lincoln on Friday.
 

Player Notes

• Senior guard Dylan Allen is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, and has led the team in scoring in seven games this season.
• Allen ranks 5th in the CCAC, with a total of 59 steals on the season.
• Against East-West on Dec. 1, Allen went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, finishing with 22 points in the win.
• Allen has four 20-point games this season, including the most for IUSB in any road game this season (25, at Bethel).

• Junior guard Donyell Meredith is second on the team in scoring, with 14.3 points per game, and is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, second-most on the team.
• Meredith had the team's first 30-point performance since 2019 on Wednesday, finishing with 30 in the CCAC Tournament win over Judson.
• Against No. 4 William Penn (Iowa) on Nov. 12, Meredith recorded 27 points, previously the most for any Titan in a single game this season.
• With 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win at St. Francis on Dec. 8, Meredith has one of the team's four double-doubles so far this year.
• Meredith has four games over 20 points this season - 27 against William Penn, 22 against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) on Nov. 13, and 21 in the win at Trinity Christian on Dec. 15.
• On Saturday's win over St. Ambrose, Meredith became the 21st player in IUSB history to reach 1,000 career points. 

• Junior foward Miles Tracy is the third player to average double figures for the Titans, with 11.9 points per game.
• Tracy recorded his third career double-double in the win at Lincoln on Jan. 22, with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds.
• Tracy picked up another double-double on Wednesday, with a game-high 20 points with 12 rebounds in the win at Calumet.
• Tracy finished with a team-high 20 points against No. 19 Olivet Nazarene on Thursday, hitting a career-high three three-pointers in the 78-74 loss.
• Tracy ranks 8th in the CCAC, with a 57.3% shooting percentage.
• Tracy scored 20 points in the overtime win at Saint Xavier on Nov. 17, going 8-for-12 from the floor with nine rebounds against the Cougars.
• Tracy is also nearing the 1,000-point threshold, with 987 career points.

• Sophomore guard Micah Poole has been pivotal off the bench for IUSB averaging 9.8 points per game.
• Poole leads the CCAC in three-point shooting, with a 47.6% percentage. His 60 three-point field goals sits 9th in the league.
• Poole set a new career high with 20 points in the win over Trinity Christian on  Jan. 24, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc against the Trolls.
• In his first start this season, Poole matched his previous career high with 16 points in the win at Trinity Christian on Dec. 15.
• Poole scored the game-winning put-back at the buzzer in his second start of the year, a 71-70 win at Roosevelt on Jan. 5. 

• Junior guard Kenny Washington is averaging 9.5 points per game, and ranks 7th in the CCAC with a 57.2% shooting percentage this season.
• Washington recorded his first career double-double in the win over Trinity Christian on Jan. 24, with ten points and ten assists.
• Washington's ten assists is the most for any IUSB player this year, and the most since Donyell Meredith's 10-assist game against Saint Xavier on Feb. 9, 2019.
• Washington scored a season-high 16 points against Roosevelt on Jan. 5, in his third start of the season.

• Senior guard Sergio Diaz is averaging 9.4 points per game, having 28 starts in 30 games this year. 
• Diaz has 20 blocked shots on the season, good for 13th in the CCAC.
• Diaz scored a career-high 19 points in the win over Judson on Jan. 26, on 7-of-10 shooting and a 5-for-7 performance from beyond the arc.
• Diaz pulled down a career-best nine rebounds in the win at Governors State on Feb. 14.

• Junior forward Spencer Pettit has started 28 of 30 games this season, and is averaging 7.7 points per game.
• Pettit scored double figures in the first four games of the season, with a career-high 19 points at Lawrence Tech (Mich.) on Oct. 30.
• Pettit recorded a career-best seven assists in the win over at Governors State on Feb. 14.

• Sophomore guard Sam Snodgrass has appeared in all 30 games this season, averaging 5.0 points per game.
• Snodgrass scored a career-best 14 points in the win over Trinity Christian on Jan. 24, hitting a career-high four three-pointers against the Trolls.
• Snodgrass matched his career high for the fourth time, with seven rebounds at IU Northwest last Wednesday.

• Freshman guard Da'Vion Davis has played in 17 of 29 games this season, averaging 3.6 points on 55.0% shooting this year (22-40).
• Davis is the team's scoring leader per 40 minutes (23.6 points/40 mins.), with an average of 8.0 minutes on the court per game. 
• Davis went a perfect 3-for-3 in five minutes of play, in the win at Governors State on Feb. 14.

• Junior forward Dane Simatovich has seen action in 17 games this year, averaging 2.4 points per game.
• In the win over East-West (Ill.) on Dec. 1, Simatovich scored a career-high 15 points, going 4-for-6 from three-point range.
• At Holy Cross on Jan. 17, Simatovich scored nine points, going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

• Freshman guard Alex Schmidt made his season debut during the win over Roosevelt on Jan. 5, pulling down one rebound in five minutes of action. Schmidt set a career-high with seven points in the win over Miami-Middletown (Ohio) on Jan. 29.

• Freshman guard Deshon Burnett has played in 17 games this year, and is averaging 0.9 points per game on 36.8% shooting.

• Freshman forward Ross Thompson has made five appearances in his first year at IUSB, recording three points, two rebounds, and two blocked shots in the win over East-West (Ill.) on Dec. 1.

• Freshman forward Ethan Williams made four appearance so far this season, recording three points and three rebounds in 11 minutes of action at Miami-Middletown (Ohio) on Jan. 29.

NAIA Tournament

• The NAIA Men's Basketball Championship selection show is scheduled for Thursday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m., on the NAIA Facebook page.
• The 16 hosts sites for the NAIA Opening Round was announced on Thursday. Each host site will will feature four teams, and the winner from each site advances to the round of 16 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

Locations    Host Institutions
Alexandria, La.    LSU Alexandria (La.)
Bourbonnais, Ill.    Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
Caldwell, Idaho    College of Idaho
Crestview Hills, Ky.    Thomas More (Ky.)
Helena, Mont.    Carroll (Mont.)
Lakeland, Fla.    Southeastern (Fla.)
Marion, Ind.    Indiana Wesleyan
Montgomery, Ala.    Faulkner (Ala.)
New Orleans, La.    Loyola (La.)
Omaha, Neb.    Omaha Sports Commission
Oskaloosa, Iowa    William Penn (Iowa)
Park City, Kan.    Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Rocklin, Calif.    William Jessup (Calif.)
Talladega, Ala.    Talladega (Ala.)
Waxahachie, Texas    SAGU (Texas)
Wichita, Kan.    Visit Wichita/Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

Up Next

• With a win, the Titans will host either No. 5-seed Roosevelt, or travel to No. 1 Olivet Nazarene for the CCAC Tournament championship game on Monday night.
• A loss will have the Titans preparing for the NAIA Men's Basketball Opening Round, set to begin on Friday, March 11.