Complete Game Notes
Game #10: Hannibal-LaGrange (2-7) at Lincoln (1-8)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 14, 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/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team is back in Jason Gym for a third-straight game as the Blue Tigers host Hannibal-LaGrange on Saturday (Dec. 14). Lincoln, which is in the midst of a four-game homestand, will tip off against the Trojans at 1:00 p.m. CST in LU's only game of the week. The Blue Tigers will attempt to end a five-game skid, as Lincoln dropped its last two home contests, including falling to Missouri Western, 66-47, last Saturday (Dec. 7). Hannibal-LaGrange, which will count Saturdays's game as an exhibition, will also try to end a skid of its own, as the Trojans have dropped their last four games.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the ninth meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Trojans, with the all-time series currently tied at 4-4.

- This is the first meeting between Hannibal-LaGrange and Lincoln since the 2013-14 season, when LU beat the Trojans, 74-40, on a neutral court.

- The Blue Tigers have defeated the Trojans in each of the past three games between the two teams. Hannibal-LaGrange's last win in the series came in 2001-02.

- Saturday will mark the first time that Kelly Quigle, in her eighth year at HLGU, and Ayana McWilliams, in her fourth years at LU, will coach against one another.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Vivian Chigbu, who is averaging a double-double with 11.6 points and 10.2 boards. Kaloni Pryear leads Lincoln with 16.8 points, and Natasha Dolinsky, who averages 6.1 points, leads LU with 2.1 assists per game. Alecia Gulledge is averaging 7.9 points while Kiara Shoulders' 5.7 boards per game are the second-most on the team.

HEAD COACH AYANA McWILLIAMS:  A five-year veteran of the Division I ranks, McWilliams is in her fourth year as the head coach at Lincoln. Last season, McWilliams led the Blue Tigers to a 7-0 start, the best in program history. 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:  After trailing by double digits early in the third quarter, Lincoln rallied to cut the deficit down to five before falling at home against Missouri Western, 66-47, last Saturday (Dec. 7). LU out-rebounded MWSU, 54-41, and held Missouri Western to just .200 shooting beyond the arc and .377 shooting overall. Kaloni Pryear led Lincoln with 15 points and nine rebounds, Alecia Gulledge scored 10 points and Natasha Elliott pulled down eight rebounds.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS:  Emma Anderson is the only Hannibal-LaGrange player averaging more than 10 points per game as her 10.7 average lead the team. Anderson also leads the Trojans in rebounding (6.3) and assists (20) while Madisen Simpson is next on the scoring chart with 8.1 per game. Rhiannon Runyon has six steals, a team-high, and averages 6.4 points.

HLGU HEAD COACH KELLY QUIGLE:  Now in her eighth season as the head coach at Hannibal-LaGrange, Quigle has led the Trojans to 55 wins. Quigle spent a season as the assistant coach before being elevated to the head coach, and previously served as the assistant basketball coach and head softball coach at John Wood Community College.

TO THE TENS:  Kaloni Pryear is off to a fantastic start offensively, averaging 16.8 points per game to lead Lincoln and rank third in the MIAA. In all eight games in which she's played, Pryear has scored at least 10 points, including reaching a new career-high with 26 points against Maryville. For the season, Pryear has made 53 field goals, the most by an MIAA player, and ranks 88th in NCAA Division II in points per contest.

DOUBLE THE FUN:  Vivian Chigbu has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in three games in 2019-20 for the fifth-most double-doubles by an MIAA athlete. Only four league players have doubled up more times with four on the season. The three double-doubles are the 48th-most by any Division II player.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS:  Lincoln has four games in the month of December, and all four will be played inside Jason Gym. In fact, Lincoln is in the middle of a stretch where seven of nine contests will be at home, with the Blue Tigers hosting both Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western last week. The Blue Tigers close 2019 with home games vs. Hannibal-LaGrange (12/14) and Eureka (12/19), and, in a three-game stretch in January, will host Central Missouri, Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State.

ON THE REBOUND:  The Blue Tigers have established themselves as one of the MIAA's best rebounding teams, as Lincoln leads the league in total rebounds per game (43.7) and in offensive boards (16.9). Lincoln is rising up the ranks in the national levels as well, ranking 14th in Division II in offensive rebounding & 30th in rebounding.

GOOD ON THE GLASS:  Vivian Chigbu reached double figures in rebounding in each of the first four games and currently leads the team and the MIAA while rating 27th in the country in total rebounds per game with 10.2. Chigbu's total of 92 rebounds is the most in the MIAA and the 13th-most in NCAA Division II.

SHOULDERING THE DEFENSE:  In addition to Vivian Chigbu, Lincoln has another player who is off to a hot start in rebounding in Kiara Shoulders, who averages 5.7 boards per contest. Shoulders, who also averages 6.7 points, is 11th in the league in defensive rebounding with 4.6 per night as well as 16th in the conference in total rebounding. Shoulders' play has helped LU post the sixth-best rebounding margin in the MIAA (+4.4).

PRYEAR SUCCESS:  Kaloni Pryear, who started 14 games and made 19 total appearances a year ago, is Lincoln's early scoring leader in 2019-20. Pryear opened the year with 18 points against Southern Arkansas. Pryear scored 21 points against William Jewell, and her 16.8 average has her ranked third in the MIAA.

BOTH SIDES OF THE GLASS:  Whether she's on offense or defense, very few players rebound as well as Vivian Chigbu. Her 4.3 offensive rebounds per game lead the MIAA and are 15th nationally while her 5.9 defensive boards per game are fifth in the conference.

A GLOBAL TEAM:  The 2019-20 Blue Tigers represent six countries, including Australia (Natasha Elliott and coach Graham McFall); Spain (Anna Munoz Vidueira); Nigeria (Vivian Chigbu); Uruguay (Natasha Dolinsky); Bosnia & Herzegovina (Vedrana Radosavljevic); and, of course, the United States of America.

REAPING REBOUNDS:  Lincoln has two of the five best rebounding performances in the MIAA, including grabbing 61 boards in the win over MacMurray, the 16th-most in a single game by a DII team this year. LU also pulled down 54 boards against Missouri Western.

DOLING ASSISTS:  Natasha Dolinsky leads the Blue Tigers with 19 assists for an average of 2.1 per game that is tied for 24th in the MIAA. Dolinsky also has 17 steals and three blocks on the year, ranking her second among Lincoln's players in both categories.

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 closes the calendar year at home on Thursday (Dec. 19) by hosting Eureka at 1:00 p.m. CST.