Complete Game Notes
Game #11: St. Louis-Pharmacy (5-8) at Lincoln (8-2)
Date: Sunday, December 30, 2018
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jason Gym (1,538) in Jefferson City, Mo.
Tickets: Adults - $5.00 | LU Faculty & Staff/Non-LU Students - $3.00 | LU Students & Kids 5 and Under – Free
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/

THE TIP OFF:  Fresh off its holiday break, the Lincoln women's basketball team is back in action on Sunday (Dec. 30) as the Blue Tigers host the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Tip-off in Jason Gym is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CST for the final non-conference game of the 2018-19 campaign for the Blue Tigers, who are 8-2 on the year after beating Upper Iowa on the road, 73-48, on Tuesday night (Dec. 18). Lincoln is off to its best start since 2011-12 and is 7-1 in non-conference games as well as 4-1 at home. The Eutectics, meanwhile, are 5-8 on the season and 1-5 on the road entering this weekend's contest.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Lincoln and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

- The Eutectics are the third first-time opponent for LU in 2018-19, as the Blue Tigers also played both Blackburn and Robert Morris-Springfield for the first time earlier in the season. Lincoln defeated Blackburn, 91-35, and beat RMU-Springfield, 96-33.

- This is the first time since 2014-15 that LU will play its final non-MIAA game at home.

- At 8-2, LU has eight wins in its first 10 games for just the third time ever (1988-89 & 2011-12).

- LU is 4-1 at home and 7-1 in non-MIAA games.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Zhanesha Dickerson is nearly averaging a double-double with 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (18.0 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (17.1) and Tempary Gunter (10.1) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (5.4) and steals (2.1), while Alecia Gulledge (8.3 rpg.) and Alecia Kaelke (5.6 rpg.) are having strong seasons on the glass.

HEAD COACH AYANA McWILLIAMS:  A five-year veteran of the Division I ranks, McWilliams is in her third season as the head coach at Lincoln. In the past two years, the Blue Tigers have improved defensively in nearly every category. McWilliams previously worked as an assistant at South Carolina Upstate, a Division I program, and also was an assistant at Elizabeth City.

LAST TIME OUT:  Lincoln led 23-11 after the first period and held Upper Iowa to just eight points in the second as the Blue Tigers beat the Peacocks, 73-48, in Fayette, Iowa on Tuesday night (Dec. 18). Bre Coleman scored 19 points and Alecia Gulledge came close to a double-double, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. Tempary Gunter matched Alecia Kaelke with 14 points, and Zoi Thompson tallied seven assists and four steals.

SCOUTING THE EUTECTICS:  Four STLCOP players are scoring in double figures, with Allison Dewald leading the team with 13.6 ppg. Morgan Rose averages 13.5 points, followed by Michon Forrest (11.1) and Morgan Dermody (10.7 ppg.). Dermody is tallying a team-high 6.8 rebounds per contest, and Dewald (77) and Rose (75) are the team's assist leaders. The Eutectics average 70.1 points and 35.2 rebounds and have 131 total steals.

STLCOP HEAD COACH STEPHEN ALLEN:  In his first season leading the Eutectics last season, Allen led a team that broke four program records and produced St. Louis-Pharmacy's first All-AMC player. Allen previously spent four years coaching at Pittsburgh-Titusville.

DOUBLE UP:  In seven of the past nine games, Zhanesha Dickerson has posted a double-double and leads the MIAA while ranking fifth in DII in double-doubles with seven on the season. Dickerson, who is nearly averaging a double-double for the season, leads the conference in scoring (17.3 ppg.) and is second in rebounding (9.8 rpg.) and is 32nd in Division II in rebounding average as well as 39th in points per game.

GULL ON THE GLASS:  Alecia Gulledge has emerged as one of Lincoln's leaders on the glass, grabbing 8.3 boards per game, the third-most in the MIAA. Gulledge tallied a season-high 18 rebounds against Blackburn and posted her first double-double against Robert Morris-Springfield with 17 points and 12 boards.

NATIONALLY RANKED:  Lincoln has been a tough team to score against, as LU is 16th in the country in scoring defense (53.8) while rating 23rd nationally in field goal defense (.347). The Blue Tigers are 36th in Division II in three-point defense, allowing teams to shoot just .266 from beyond the arc, and have the country's 11th-best rebound margin (+11.7). Lincoln is also 16th in DII in free throw percentage (.778) and 24th in the nation in field goal percentage (.452).

LEAGUE LEADER:  Zoi Thompson led the Blue Tigers in November, earning MIAA Player of the Week accolades after nearly recording a triple double in a win over Stephens. Thompson leads the MIAA in assists with 5.4 per game, and ranks third in the league in scoring (17.1 ppg.) and fourth in field goal percentage (.444).

STREAKING:  LU's 7-0 start to the season was its best ever as an NCAA program, surpassing Lincoln's previous best start of 4-0 in 2011-12. That year, LU started the season 9-1 and ended up making the semifinals of the MIAA tourney. Lincoln this season fell just short of matching its longest win streak in history, which came in 1988-89, when LU won eight in a row.

TEMPARY SUCCESS:  Tempary Gunter has made her senior season a memorable one. In addition to starting all eight of LU's wins, Gunter hit the game-winning shot vs. McKendree before scoring a career-high 20 points against Blackburn. For the season, Gunter is averaging 10.1 points on .448 shooting, and also has 10 steals on the year.

BRE IS BACK:  After missing the first eight games of 2018-19, Bre Coleman made her debut against William Jewell and nearly had a double-double. Coleman scored 17 points and grabbed eight boards, finishing second on the team in both stats. In 2017-18, Coleman led Lincoln in scoring (10.7 ppg.) and rebounding (7.7 rpg.).

REBOUNDING:  A big factor in Lincoln's improvement to 8-2 after a four-win campaign in 2017-18 has been on the glass, as Lincoln has out-rebounded opponents in eight of its 10 contests. LU owns a rebound margin of +11.7, the 11th-best in the country. Zhanesha Dickerson leads the MIAA with 9.8 boards per game, and Alecia Gulledge is third with 8.3 per contest.

SOPHOMORE ASCENT:  Alecia Kaelke has improved in nearly every facet of the game from her freshman season, as the second-year Blue Tiger is averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds after averaging 1.7 and 2.0 in 2017-18. Kaelke is shooting .667 from the floor and .833 at the line, and is 22nd in the conference in rebounding.

SHOULDERING THE DEFENSE:  Another key part of Lincoln's hot start to the season has been Kiara Shoulders, who has provided a spark on both sides of the ball. Shoulders, who averages 4.8 points, has grabbed 51 rebounds, tallied 16 steals and dished 20 assists.

RESERVATIONS:  You can reserve your seats for all of Lincoln's home games today! Reserved seats cost $100 and include admission to all of LU's regular season home games. To purchase your seats, visit https://14186.thankyou4caring.org/2017-18-sports-passes.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Get your Blue Tiger jerseys, apparel, accessories, office supplies and much, much more at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store of LU athletics. You can get everything you will need for basketball season, with a portion of all sales going directly to support all 12 LU athletic programs.

NEXT UP:  The Blue Tigers resume MIAA play at home on Thursday night (Jan. 3) as Lincoln hosts Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. CST.