Complete Game Notes
Game #19: Lincoln (13-5, 6-3 MIAA) at Washburn (14-4, 7-2 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan.
Live Stats: https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #20: Lincoln at Emporia State (7-11, 2-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Site: Emporia, Kan.
Live Stats: https://esuhornets.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  Fresh off its 13th win of the season, the Lincoln men's basketball team heads to Kansas for a pair of MIAA games this weekend. The Blue Tigers first take on Washburn in Topeka on Thursday night (Jan. 31) at 7:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln will then travel to Emporia to face Emporia State on Saturday (Feb. 2) in a 3:30 p.m. CST contest. The Blue Tigers, who are 6-3 in conference play, are off to their best start ever in the five-year tenure of head coach John Moseley after a 78-65 victory at home over Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Jan. 26). Washburn is also having a fine season, entering the week 14-4 on the year and 7-2 in MIAA play after defeating Pittsburg State on the road on Saturday. Emporia State is 7-11 on the season and will try to snap a four-game skid.

FAST BREAKS
- This is the 32nd meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Ichabods, with Washburn leading the series, 28-3. LU's last win in the series came in 1968-69.

- Emporia State and Lincoln will meet for the 28th time, with ESU leading the series, 18-9. LU has won four of the last five meetings.

- At 13-5, the Blue Tigers have posted double digit wins in a season for the fourth-straight year.

- The Blue Tigers are 4-2 in true road games this season, including 3-2 in road MIAA games.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Terrance Smith leads Lincoln with 16.5 points and 6.6 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 4.8 assists while scoring 12.7 per night. Amariontez Ivory (12.8 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (13.8 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.3 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:  The Blue Tigers drained 11 three-pointers and shot .519 overall en route to a 78-65 home victory over Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Jan. 26). Ni'Sean Rigmaiden came close to a triple-double, finishing with a team-high 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Terrance Smith and Amariontez Ivory each chipped in 16 points while John Burton finished with 13 points and L'Kielynn Taylor grabbed seven boards.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Javion Blake is averaging 19.2 points and David Salach is next with a 13.1 average, while Tyas Martin and Jalen Lewis are each averaging close to 10 points per night. Tyler Geiman is leading the team with 5.9 assists per game, and Will McKee is Washburn's top rebounder with a 6.1 average.

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his second season as the head coach of the Ichabods, Ballard has led to Washburn to 36 victories, with 14 in 2018-19. In his first year at WU, Ballard led the Ichabods to the championship game of the MIAA tournament. Ballard spent the previous four seasons at the NCAA Division I level, with stints at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and was the head coach at Baker from 2010-12.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Five different ESU players are averaging double-digit points, led by Malik Hluchoweckyj with 13.9 points per game. Kooper Glick is tallying 12.4 points, followed by Justin Washington (11.4 ppg.), Julius Jackson (11.1) and Sawyer Glick (10.2). Emporia State has scored 1,435 points and allowed 1,435 points.

ESU HEAD COACH CRAIG DOTY:  A three-time national champion coach, Doty is in hist first year as the head coach at Emporia State. Doty won two national titles at Rock Valley, a junior college, and another at NAIA program Graceland. Doty won 162 games before beginning his ESU tenure, including 49 at the four-year level.

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 .483. The Blue Tigers, who rank fourth in DII in three-point percentage (.418) and 42nd in total field goal percentage, are 12-1 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 13.8 points per game, is second among LU players in scoring. John, meanwhile, is averaging 7.7 points and has made 37 three-pointers on the season while shooting .430 from long distance, and rates 10th 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 12.9 points this season with 11 double-digit point performances in 2018-19.

DOWNTOWN'S CLOSED:  Teams have had a hard time making three's against Lincoln, as the Blue Tigers lead the MIAA and rank 23rd in three-point defense (.310). While opponents have attempted 371 shots from downtown, LU has allowed just 115 treys this season six fewer than the next-closest team (Missouri Western, 121).

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 .418 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the fourth-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 9.8 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 86 and 28, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is fifth in the MIAA in assists and third in total steals, also averages 12.7 points and 4.1 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 .765 on free throws, a percentage that is fourth in the MIAA and 30th in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 36-for-40 at the line while Terrance Smith is shooting .794 and Jonell Burton shoots .852 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 3.8 boards per game. Olsson, a starter in 17 games this year, has scored in double figures in nine of the past 12 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 is back on its home court on Thursday, Feb. 7, as the Blue Tigers host Missouri Western in a 7:30 p.m. CST showdown.