Complete Game Notes
Game #11: Culver-Stockton (3-9) at Lincoln (3-7)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019
Time: 6:00 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: One final game awaits the Lincoln men's basketball team in 2019, as the Blue Tigers close the month on Wednesday (Dec. 18) against Culver-Stockton. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST in Jason Gym for LU's final game of the calendar year and its third home contest of 2019-20. It will also be the final non-league game of the season for Lincoln, which dropped a pair of close games at the QU Subway Holiday Classic this past weekend. McKendree broke a tie with the Blue Tigers by scoring four points in the final minutes for a 55-51 win over Lincoln on Saturday (Dec. 14). On Sunday (Dec. 15), the Blue Tigers saw a furious late rally fall just a little short as Quincy held off Lincoln, 90-84. The Blue Tigers will play a Culver-Stockton squad that is 3-9 on the year after ending a four-game skid with a win over Evangel.
FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Culver-Stockton have met eight times in the past, with the Blue Tigers winning every game in the series.
- This is the second-straight season that Lincoln will take on Culver-Stockton in its final non-MIAA game of the year.
- LU beat CSC, 80-53, in Jason Gym last season.
- A win would improve Lincoln to 2-1 at home in the 2019-20 season.
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS: L'Kielynn Taylor leads Lincoln with 8.3 rebounds per game while Jonell Burton is the top scorer with 16.5 points per night. Cameron Potts has done a bit of everything, leading Lincoln in assists (5.1 apg.) and steals (19) while averaging 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Marcel Burton averages 10.0 points and is shooting .800 at the line.
HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY: Now in his sixth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led LU to four-straight postseason appearances as well as four-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
McKendree 55, Lincoln 51
It was a tie game with 4:37 to play, but four points in the final minutes allowed McKendree to hand the Blue Tigers a 55-51 loss on Dec. 14. LU was led by Cameron Potts, who scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Quincy 90, Lincoln 84
After trailing by 19 with 4:14 remaining, Lincoln went on a 15-0 run to pull within four, but the comeback bid came up short as Quincy hung on for a 90-84 win on Dec. 15. Lamont Ballard, Jr. made six treys to lead the Blue Tigers with 21 points, and Marcel Burton, Jonell Burton and Bansi King each scored 12 points.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Four players are averaging more than 10 points per game, led by Mason Vires, who is scoring 18.3 points while dishing 5.1 assists per night. Vires also has 34 steals, leading Culver-Stockton in that catergory, and his 4.8 rebounding average is second only to Troy Green's average of 7.1. Green (10.9), Ray Adams (10.5) and Thaddeus Newby (10.6) are the other top scorers.
CSC HEAD COACH AARON HILL: Last year, in his first season as a head coach, Hill led Culver-Stockton to a 16-16 record, which doubled their combined win totals from 2016-17 and 2017-18. Four of his players earned all-conference honors, and led the Wildcats to their first postseason win in five years. Hill's father, Steve, coached Culver-Stockton from 1990-2004, winning 187 games.
BLOCK PARTY: Opposing shooters have been stung by Jonell Burton many times in 2019-20, as his 15 blocks are the third-most by any MIAA player. Burton, who ranks 47th in the country in total blocks, is averaging 1.5 blocks per game, the 57th-most in NCAA Division II.
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES: Jonell Burton, who is leading the Blue Tigers with 16.5 points per game, is currently fifth in the MIAA in scoring and fourth in total field goals made (66). Burton scored in double figures in each of the season's first five games, eclipsing the 20-point plateau twice, including pouring in 40 vs. Harris-Stowe.
ON THE GLASS: L'Kielynn Taylor already has led Lincoln in rebounding for most of the season, pulling down five or more boards in nine of LU's 10 games with double-digit performances against four opponents. Taylor's 8.3 average is the fifth-most in the MIAA while his 83 total rebounds are the second-most by an MIAA player and the 67th-most by a Division II player.
MASTER THIEF: Cameron Potts has notched 19 steals during the first 10 games of the year and is fifth in the MIAA with 1.9 steals per game. Potts, who ranks 75th in Division II in total steals, has helped LU average 6.2 steals/game.
THE GIVER: When he's not taking the ball away from the other team, Cameron Potts is giving it to his teammates, as Potts ranks 60th in Division II with 5.1 assists per game. Potts, who is fourth in the MIAA in assists, also has the league's eighth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
DOWNTOWN'S CLOSED: Teams had a difficult time making three's against Lincoln last year, as the Blue Tigers ranked second in the MIAA and 42nd in NCAA Division II in three-point defense (.327). That trend has continued in 2019-20, as LU is currently sixth in the league, allowing opponents to shoot just .323 beyond the arc.
D-D-D-DEFENSE: In addition to being tough along the perimeter, LU has been strong all around while on defense, ranking 90th nationally with 70.6 points allowed per game. The Blue Tigers, who are sixth in the MIAA in defensive rebounding (26.9) and 10th in offensive rebounding (9.6), are ninth in the conference with 36.5 boards per night.
FIELD TACTICS: Seven Blue Tigers are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Jordan Notch (.595), Cameron Potts (.515) and L'Kielynn Taylor (.556) making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .432 from the field while holding opponents to .426 shooting, with that field goal defense ranking 93rd in NCAA Division II.
SLIDING UP THE POLLS: Lincoln received quite a bit of respect from around the MIAA in the league's preseason polls. In the coaches poll, the Blue Tigers received 93 points to be picked seventh in the 14-team league. In the media poll, Lincoln collected 156 points and was selected sixth in the conference.
REJECTIONS: Lincoln has blocked 35 shots in 2019-20, with the 3.5 rejections per game ranking fifth in the MIAA. Jonell Burton, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team in 2018-19, leads the Blue Tigers with 15 rejections while Cameron Potts is next with five blocks.
NOTCHING SOME HELP: Jordan Notch, who started the first seven games of the year, has stepped up his play the last six contests, with a 12 point and nine rebound game against Maryville. Notch poured in 11 points in the victory over Missouri Western and, over the past six games, is shooting 19-31 (.613) from the field.
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 return to MIAA play as Lincoln opens the new year at Newman with a 3:00 p.m. CST game in Wichita, Kan. on Jan. 4.
