Complete Game Notes
Game 13: No. 20 Missouri Southern (11-2, 2-1 MIAA) at Lincoln (9-3, 2-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2019
Time: 3:00 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/lubluetigers/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/

THE TIP OFF:  Riding a five-game winning streak, the Lincoln men's basketball team faces one of its toughest tests of the year this Saturday (Jan. 5) when LU welcomes Missouri Southern for a 3:00 p.m. CST contest. Missouri Southern is ranked No. 20 in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, but is coming off a 79-57 loss at Lindenwood last Thurday (Jan. 3). The Lions are 11-2 overall while the Blue Tigers are 9-3 with wins in each of their past five contests, including a 96-85 victory against Pittsburg State in Jason Gym on Thursday. LU is 4-1 at home and 2-1 in conference play entering this weekend.

FAST BREAKS
- This is the 39th meeting between Missouri Southern and Lincoln, with the Lions leading the series, 28-10. MSSU has won the last two meetings, with Lincoln's last victory in the series coming in 2016-17, when LU won in Joplin, Mo., 75-72.

- MSSU is the second ranked opponent Lincoln plays this year after an 85-78 road loss to No. 2 Northwest Missouri on Dec. 6.

- Lincoln enters the weekend with a five-game winning streak, its first such since the 2015-16 season.

- A win would give Lincoln its first six-game winning streak since early in the 2000-01 season.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Terrance Smith leads Lincoln with 16.5 points and 6.4 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 4.7 assists while scoring 11.3 per night. Amariontez Ivory (13.5 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (13.6 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.0 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. Over the past two years, Moseley has guided Lincoln to 32 victories.

LAST TIME OUT:  John Burton and Jonell Burton each scored 20 points as the Blue Tigers defeated Pittsburg State, 96-85, in Jason Gym on Thursday night (Jan. 3). Ni'Sean Rigmaiden scored 19 and dished eight assists while Terrance Smith added 16 points as Lincoln shot .493 from the floor and held the Gorillas to just five successful three-point tries. L'Kielynn Taylor led Lincoln with six rebounds.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Missouri Southern had out-scored opponents by an average of 91-74 this year, with Cam Martin's 23.2 ppg. average pacing the team. Kinzer Lambert (17.4), Reggie Tharp (10.3) and Elyjah Clark (15.0) are also having strong scoring seasons, with Tharp additionally averaging a team-best 5.2 assists.

MSSU HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE:  In his fifth season as the head coach of the Lions, and his ninth season with the progam overall, Jeff Boschee (87-47 overall) has led Missouri Southern to four NCAA Division II tourney appearances over the past six years. The MIAA Coach of the Year last season, Boschee has twice led the Lions to 20-win seasons and has guided the team to the postseason every year.

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 13.6 points per game, is second among the Blue Tigers in scoring. John, meanwhile, is averaging 8.3 points and has made 26 three-pointers on the season while shooting .433 from long distance, and rates 11th in the MIAA with 2.2 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 13 total performances with 20-plus points and averages 13.5 points this season with nine double-digit point performances.

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 3.1 treys per game, and his .481 shooting percentage from long range is also 22nd.

AGENT SMITH:  Terrance Smith has doubled up in three games this season, including tallying season-highs in points (30) and rebounds (12) in LU's win over Ecclesia. Smith, who also had double-doubles against Missouri S&T and Northwest Missouri, leads the team with 16.5 points and 6.4 boards per game. Smith also ranks second in the MIAA in total blocks (15).

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 .434 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the fourth-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 9.9 treys per night, the third-most in the conference, and has made 119 overall treys in 2018-19.

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 56 and 23, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is seventh in the MIAA in assists and second in total steals, also averages 11.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and had a 20-point game against Missouri Western.

GRANTED:  Grant Olsson has stepped up his game in his second season with the Blue Tigers, as the senior averages 9.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Olsson, a starter in 11 games this year, has scored in double figures in five of the past six games and has grabbed at least four rebounds in nine contests. A big factor in LU boasting the MIAA's fourth-best scoring defense, Olsson also has nine assists, four steals and two blocks on the year.

OFF THE GLASS:  The Blue Tigers have out-gained other teams in rebounds six times this year and, as a result, are fourth in the MIAA in rebound defense (32.7). Terrance Smith leads LU with 6.5 boards per game, followed by Jonell Burton (5.0) and L'Kielynn Taylor (5.0).

BLOCK PARTY:  Terrance Smith has blocked a pair of shots in six of Lincoln's 12 games, and his 15 rejections are the second-most in the MIAA and rank 96th in the country. As a team, Lincoln is second in the MIAA with 3.6 blocks per contest.

POINTS FOR FREE:  Lincoln takes advantage of its opportunities at the line, as the Blue Tigers are shooting .766 on free throws, a percentage that is fourth in the MIAA and 33rd in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 22-for-23 at the line while Terrance Smith's .897 free throw percentage rates third in the MIAA and 35th in Division II.

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:  The Blue Tigers travel to St. Charles, Mo. to play Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 12, in a 3:30 p.m. CST contest.