Complete Game Notes
Game #15: Lincoln (9-5, 1-4 MIAA) at No. 19 Central Missouri (10-4, 3-3 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: UCM Multipurpose Building (6,500) in Warrensburg, Mo.
Tickets: Available at Site
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://ucmathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team takes on the defending national champions this week when the Blue Tigers play Central Missouri at 5:30 p.m. CST in Warrensburg, Mo. on Wednesday (Jan. 16). UCM, which won the 2018 NCAA Division II Championship, is ranked No. 19 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll and enters the week with a 10-4 record after falling to Pittsburg State, 76-68, in Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday (Jan. 12). Lincoln is 9-5 on the year, but has dropped each of its past three games, including falling to Lindenwood, 69-46, in St. Charles, Mo. on Sunday (Jan. 13).

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Central Missouri meet for the 58th time, with the UCM leading the all-time series, 54-3.

- The Jennies have won each of the past four meetings, with Lincoln's last victory coming in Warrensbug, Mo. in 2016, when the Blue Tigers beat UCM, 82-76.

- Lincoln's last win over a ranked opponent was an 83-77 postseason victory over No. 12 Pittsburg State in 2012.

- After finishing with just four wins in 2017-18, Lincoln already has nine victories this year.

- A victory would give Lincoln its first 10-win season since going 12-14 in 2014-15.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Zhanesha Dickerson is nearly averaging a double-double with 15.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (13.3 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (16.6) and Tempary Gunter (8.9) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (5.0) and steals (1.9), while Alecia Gulledge (7.9 rpg.) and Alecia Kaelke (5.5 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:  Lindenwood out-scored the Blue Tigers, 19-6, in the second quarter and held on for a 69-46 win over Lincoln on Sunday (Jan. 13). Shannyn Triplett led Lincoln with 16 points and Zhanesha Dickerson added 12 while Alecia Gulledge posted team-highs in rebounds (12) and blocks (two).

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Central Missouri has a balanced starting five, with each player tallying at least seven points and three boards per game. Paige Redmond leads UCM with 17.3 points and 3.9 assists, while Morgan Fleming (13.6 ppg.) and Megan Skaggs (13.4) are next on the scoring chart. Kim Crown, who leads the Jennies with 6.0 rpg., is averaging 8.9 points.

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  With more wins than any other coach in the history of the UCM women's basketball program, Slifer enters the week with 291 victories with the Jennies and over 600 wins in his career. Slifer, who was named the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013, has led the Jennies to eight 20-win seasons and the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

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 5.0 per game, and ranks fourth in the league in scoring (16.6 ppg.) and fifth in field goal percentage (.423).

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES:  With a pair of 27-point performances this season, Zoi Thompson has emerged as one of the MIAA's top scorers. Thompson, who is 65th in NCAA Division II in total field goals made (91) and 84th in points per game (16.6), is enjoying the best scoring season by a Blue Tiger since Andrea Sykes averaged 17.5 points in 1998-99.

DOUBLE UP:  In seven of the past 12 games, Zhanesha Dickerson has posted a double-double and leads the MIAA while ranking 23rd in DII in double-doubles with seven on the season. Dickerson, who is nearly averaging a double-double for the season, is fifth in the league in scoring (15.6 ppg.) and is second in rebounding (8.9 rpg.) and is 70th in Division II in rebounding average as well as 119th in points per game.

GULL ON THE GLASS:  Alecia Gulledge has emerged as one of Lincoln's leaders on the glass, grabbing 7.9 boards per game, the fourth-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 47th in the country in scoring defense (58.7) while rating 83rd nationally in field goal defense (.376). LU is also 24th in the country in rebound margin (+8.2), 46th in DII in scoring margin (+12.4) and 47th nationally in field goal percentage (.436). In the individual statistics, Zoi Thompson rates 22nd in assists per game (5.0) and 25th in total assists with 70 on the year.

TEMPARY SUCCESS:  Tempary Gunter has made her senior season a memorable one. In addition to starting all nine 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 8.9 points on .423 shooting, and also has 11 steals on the year.

BRE IS BACK:  Bre Coleman, Lincoln's leader in scoring and rebounding in 2017-18, has made a big impact on both sides of the ball since returning to the lineup in mid-December. Coleman is averaging 13.3 ppg. and 7.0 rpg., and has seven steals while averaging just 23.8 minutes per contest.

REBOUNDING:  A big factor in Lincoln's improvement to 9-5 after a four-win campaign in 2017-18 has been on the glass, as Lincoln has out-rebounded opponents in 10 of its 14 contests. LU owns a rebound margin of +8.2, the second-best in the MIAA. Zhanesha Dickerson is second in the MIAA with 8.9 rebounds per game while Alecia Gulledge is fourth at 7.9 rebounds per game.

HOME, SWEET HOME:  For the first time since 2010-11, when the Blue Tigers had 15 home games and 11 road tilts, Lincoln will play more contests at home than it will true road games. The Blue Tigers play 12 games in Jason Gym, including five of their final seven contests of the year, with just nine true road games on the schedule.

SECOND CHANCES:  Lincoln has found ways to extend its possessions, ranking second in the MIAA and 56th in Division II with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Blue Tigers, who have 199 offensive boards on the year, have scored 170 second chance points in 2018-19.

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 remain on the road on Saturday (Jan. 19) to play Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo. at 1:30 p.m. CST.