Complete Game Notes
Game #18: Central Oklahoma (12-7, 3-6 MIAA) at Lincoln (9-8, 1-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2019
Time: 1:00 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/
Special Event: Coaches vs. Cancer Game

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team takes on Central Oklahoma in Jason Gym on Saturday (Jan. 26) in LU's annual Coaches vs. Cancer Game. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. CST, and the first 400 people who arrive at the game will receive a free t-shirt. The Blue Tigers played another close game on Thursday (Jan. 24), as a late Northeastern State run helped the RiverHawks beat Lincoln, 73-68. Lincoln will try to rebound against a Central Oklahoma team that is 12-7 on the year and 3-6 in MIAA play. The Bronchos have lost five of their last six games, however, and are coming off a road loss on Thursday to Lindenwood, 81-64.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Central Oklahoma will meet for the 10th time on Saturday, with the Bronchos leading the series, 7-2.

- After winning the first two games in the series, the Blue Tigers have dropped each of the last seven meetings to Central Oklahoma, with the Bronchos winning the last contest between the teams, 81-39, in Edmond, Okla. in 2017-18.

- 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 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (13.0 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (15.0) and Tempary Gunter (8.9) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (4.5) and steals (1.7), while Alecia Gulledge (7.8 rpg.) and Kiara Shoulders (4.2 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 for most of the game, but Northeastern State ended the contest on a 13-3 run over the final five minutes to beat the Blue Tigers, 73-68, on Thursday night (Jan. 24). Zhanesha Dickerson led LU with 19 points while Alecia Gulledge added 15 points and tied Bre Coleman with seven rebounds. Kaloni Pryear had 14 points and three assists.

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS:  Ireon Smith is one of the top defenders in the MIAA, averaging 7.9 rebounds with 27 blocks and 19 steals. Smith also scores 11.4 per game, placing her just behind Micayla Haynes (11.8) and above Shatoya Bryson (10.8) on the team's offensive list. The Bronchos are shooting .418 from the floor and averaging 67.2 points per night.

UCO HEAD COACH GUY HARDAKER:  Over the past 12 seasons, Hardaker has led UCO to five NCAA Division II tournament appearances as well as five 20-win campaigns. In 2016-17, he guided Central Oklahoma to the championship game of the MIAA Tournament and an at-large berth in the NCAA tourney, and last season he, at one point, had the Bronchos ranked No. 16 in the nation.

CLOSE CALLS:  Lincoln has played some very close games this season, with eight of LU's games being decided by six points or less. Those have been a mixed bag for the Blue Tigers, who are 2-6 in such contests, including a pair of one-point losses to Missouri Western & Southwest Baptist on the road, and an overtime loss to Missouri Southern at home.

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 ranks third in the MIAA in assists with 4.5 per game, and rates seventh in the league in scoring (15.0 ppg.) and sixth in field goal percentage (.398).

DOUBLE UP:  Seven times this year Zhanesha Dickerson has posted a double-double and leads the MIAA while ranking 44th in DII in double-doubles on the season. Dickerson, who is nearly averaging a double-double for the season, is fourth in the league in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and is third in rebounding (8.3 rpg.) and ranks 102nd in Division II in rebounding average as well as 110th in points per game.

GULL ON THE GLASS:  Alecia Gulledge has emerged as one of Lincoln's leaders on the glass, grabbing 7.8 boards per game, the sixth-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 63rd in the country in scoring defense (60.4) while rating 105th nationally in field goal defense (.384). LU is also 26th in the country in rebound margin (+7.6), 62nd in DII in scoring margin (+9.6) and 58th nationally in field goal percentage (.430). In the individual statistics, Zoi Thompson rates 32nd in assists per game (4.7) and 57th in total assists with 71 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 13.0 ppg. and 8.2 rpg., and has 14 steals while averaging just 26.3 minutes per contest.

REBOUNDING:  A big factor in Lincoln's improvement to nine victories after a four-win campaign in 2017-18 has been on the glass, as Lincoln has out-rebounded opponents in 11 of its 17 contests. LU owns a rebound margin of +6.5, the third-best in the MIAA. Zhanesha Dickerson is third in the MIAA with 8.3 rebounds per game while Alecia Gulledge is sixth at 7.8 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, leading the MIAA and ranking 42nd in Division II with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Blue Tigers, who have 247 offensive boards on the year, have scored 215 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:  Lincoln travels to Topeka, Kan. on Thursday (Jan. 31) to take on Washburn in a 5:30 p.m. CST contest.