Ex-Central star Lindemann enjoys return

CHAMPAIGN – It didn't go exactly as she would have dreamed it up, but Allie Lindemann's return to Champaign offered some degree of satisfaction.

The former Champaign Central standout scored seven points for Siena on Sunday in an 85-53 loss to Illinois at the Assembly Hall. It was Lindemann's first appeArance on the floor since she was a pre-teen playing for a youth team at halftime of an Illinois game.

"It was good to come home," Lindemann said. "I always wanted to play on this floor, so being able to play on it meant a lot."

Lindemann started her senior season by hitting 3 of 6 shots, 1 of 3 from beyond the arc. She had one assist and five turnovers in 23 minutes.

The Loudonville, N.Y., school had more support in the stands than one would normally expect. Many of Lindemann's family and friends were settled in behind the Saints' bench, some of them donning the school's green. Lindemann acknowledged that the scene added a few more nerves to the equation.

"I just tried to concentrate on the game and what we needed to do as a team," she said. "But, yeah, a little bit (nervous) at first. Once the game started, I was fine."

Siena coach Gina Castelli said she promised Lindemann a game in her home state while recruiting her out of Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College, where Lindemann played for two seasons after Central. It is a common recruiting tactic.

"We had called a number of different schools, and Illinois had an open date, and we came back and this is how it worked out," Castelli said.

Lindemann, the team's leading returning scorer at 10.6 a game, is expected to play a major role for the Saints, picked to finish ninth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She was a preseason third-team All-MAAC selection.

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