Complete Game Notes
Game #17: Northeastern State (9-8, 3-5 MIAA) at Lincoln (12-4, 5-2 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, January 24, 2019
Time: 7:30 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/lubluetigers/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team is back at Jason Gym on Thursday night (Jan. 24) when the Blue Tigers host Northeastern State in a 7:30 p.m. CST contest. Lincoln, which was on the road for each of its past three games, will attempt to continue building on its 12-4 start, which includes a 5-2 mark in MIAA play and a 5-1 record at home. The Blue Tigers were last in action on Saturday (Jan. 19) as LU beat Southwest Baptist, 89-70, in Bolivar, Mo. Northeastern State enters the week with a 9-8 record overall and a 3-5 mark in conference play, as the RiverHawks are on a three-game winning streak after an 83-64 home victory against Pittsburg State on Saturday.

FAST BREAKS
- This is the 11th meeting between the Blue Tigers and the RiverHawks. The two teams split the previous 10 match-ups, as the series record is tied, 5-5.

- Lincoln has won each of its past two meetings with Northeastern State and four of its last five. LU has also won the last two meetings in Jefferson City, with the RiverHawks' last victory inside Jason Gym coming in 2013-14.

- The Blue Tigers are 2-0 at home in league games and trying to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2015-16.

- At 12-4, the Blue Tigers have posted double digit wins in a season for the fourth-straight year.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Terrance Smith leads Lincoln with 17.2 points and 6.8 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 4.4 assists while scoring 12.9 per night. Amariontez Ivory (13.1 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (13.3 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.2 rebounds.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led LU to three-straight postseason appearances as well as three-consecutive winning seasons. In 2015-16, he became the first coach to take Lincoln to the postseason since 1986-87 and led LU to its first winning campaign since 2001-02. The Blue Tigers have posted double-digit wins in each of the past four seasons.

LAST TIME OUT:  Lincoln shot .561 overall and .520 from three-point range in an 89-70 win at Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Jan. 19). Ni'Sean Rigmaiden led LU with 26 points while Grant Olsson added 18 and Jonell Burton finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. John Burton and Amariontez Ivory each scored nine.

SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS:  Caleb Smith leads three NSU players averaging double-digit points with 15.4 points per game, and grabs 4.4 rebounds to go with a team-best 3.1 assists. Trent Cantrell (10.5 ppg.) and Tanner Mouse (13.1) are Northeastern State's other offensive leaders, and Aaron Givens is pulling down a team-high 6.5 rebounds per night. Northeastern State averages 79.2 points while defensively allowing 72.2 points per game.

NSU HEAD COACH MARK DOWNEY:  Downey is in his second season with the RiverHawks and his 12th year as a head coach, and has won over 150 games in his career. At Arkansas Tech in 2009-10, he led the Wonder Boys to a 30-2 record, and later guided Charleston to a 26-7 mark in 2011-12. Downey's teams have made four NCAA appearances and eight trips to the postseason.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  After leading the LU men's basketball team to three-straight victories, including a win over No. 20 Missouri Southern, Terrance Smith was selected as the MIAA Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 7. Smith, who scored 35 points and grabbed 14 boards against No. 20 Missouri Southern, averaged 21.7 points and 8.3 rebounds for the week.

SHOOTING STARS:  LU ranks among the best teams in the MIAA in making baskets, as Lincoln is fourth in the league in field goal percentage at .485. The Blue Tigers, who rank third in DII in three-point percentage (.429) and 41st in total field goal percentage, are 11-1 this season when finishing games with a higher accuracy rating than their opponents.

BURTON TO BURTON:  Lincoln has a pair of outstanding point guards who happen to share a last name. Jonell Burton and John Burton (unrelated) each scored 20 points in the win over Pittsburg State, and Jonell, with 13.3 points per game, is second among the Blue Tigers in scoring. John, meanwhile, is averaging 7.7 points and has made 33 three-pointers on the season while shooting .418 from long distance, and rates 12th in the MIAA with 2.1 treys per game.

IVORY TOWER:  Amariontez Ivory scored at least 10 points in 21 of his 29 games last year, and is off to another strong start in 2018-19. Ivory led Lincoln with 20 points in the season-opener, then scored 21 against Lane. An All-MIAA honorable mention last year, Ivory now has tallied 14 total performances with 20-plus points and averages 13.1 points this season with 10 double-digit point performances in 2018-19.

THREE'S COMPANY:  Amariontez Ivory has been hot from beyond the arc, as he is ranked among the best in NCAA Division II in three-point shooting. Ivory ranks 45th in the nation with 3.0 treys per game, and his .485 shooting percentage from long range is also seventh.

AGENT SMITH:  Terrance Smith has doubled up in four games this season, including tallying season-highs in points (35) and rebounds (14) in LU's win over Missouri Southern. Smith, who also had double-doubles against Ecclesia, Missouri S&T and Northwest Missouri, leads the team with 17.2 points and 6.8 boards per game.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE:  Lincoln is once again one of the top teams in the MIAA in three-point shooting, as LU is second in the conference with a .429 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the third-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 10.1 treys per night, the third-most in the conference.

HE GIVES AND HE TAKES:  Ni'Sean Rigmaiden has been a huge asset to the Blue Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, but especially in assists and steals, where he leads the team with 71 and 27, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is seventh in the MIAA in assists and second in total steals, also averages 12.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and had a 32-point game against Lindenwood on Jan. 12.

POINTS FOR FREE:  LU utilitzes its opportunities at the line, as the Blue Tigers are shooting .770 on free throws, a percentage that is second in the MIAA and 28th in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 33-for-35 at the line while Terrance Smith is shooting .828 and Jonell Burton shoots .820 at the charity stripe.

GRANTED:  Grant Olsson has stepped up his game in his second season with the Blue Tigers, as the senior averages 10.1 points and 4.0 boards per game. Olsson, a starter in 15 games this year, has scored in double figures in eight of the past 10 games and has grabbed at least four boards in 11 contests.

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:  Lincoln fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

NEXT UP:  Lincoln remains at home on Saturday (Jan. 26) to play Central Oklahoma in a 3:00 p.m. CST contest.