Complete Game Notes
Game #7: No. 1 Northwest Missouri (7-0, 0-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (2-4, 0-0 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019
Time: 7:30 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:  The number one team in the nation comes to Jason Gym on Thursday night (Dec. 5) as the Lincoln men's basketball team hosts Northwest Missouri at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Bearcats, the defending NCAA DII national champions, are the top-ranked team in both the D2SIDA and National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II polls, and are 7-0 entering this week. The Blue Tigers, meanwhile, are 2-4 overall and will attempt to snap a three-game skid in their first home game of the 2019-20 season. This will be the first MIAA contest of the year for both Lincoln and Northwest Missouri.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri will meet for the 81st time on Thursday evening, with the Bearcats leading the all-time series, 50-30.

- This will be a rematch of a game from the semifinals of the 2019 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship, as the Bearcats topped the Blue Tigers, 86-69, in Kansas City on March 9.

- Lincoln's last win in this rivalry came in 2015-16, when the Blue Tigers topped Northwest Missouri, then ranked No. 25 in the country, 79-74 in Jason Gym.

- The Blue Tigers are seeking their first victory against a nationally-ranked opponent since Jan. 5, 2019, when LU beat No. 20 Missouri Southern, 90-83, in Jason Gym.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  L'Kielynn Taylor leads Lincoln with 10.5 rebounds per game while Jonell Burton is the top scorer with 19.7 points per night. Cameron Potts has done a bit of everything, leading Lincoln in assists (5.8 apg.) and steals (13) while averaging 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds. Marcel Burton averages 9.8 points and is shooting .833 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
Maryville 65, Lincoln 61
Lincoln led by 10 with 6:34 to play, but Maryville ended the game on a 17-3 run to hand the Blue Tigers a loss on Nov. 26. Jonell Burton scored a game-high 24 points and L'Kielynn Taylor had 10 points and 10 rebounds while Jordan Notch had nine rebounds to go with 12 points.

Missouri-St. Louis 76, Lincoln 59
Cameron Potts led the Blue Tigers with 15 points and Marcel Burton chipped in 13, but Lincoln fell to Missouri-St. Louis, 76-59, on Nov. 27. It was a three-point game at halftime, but UMSL shot .591 from the field and .583 from long range over the final 20 minutes to seal the win. L'Kielynn Taylor led LU with seven rebounds.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Ryan Hawkins is averaging 23.6 points and 7.4 points, both team highs, and leads NWMSU with 15 steals and six blocks. Trevor Hudgins, who is averaging 16.9 points, leads the Bearcats with 7.9 assists per game, and Diego Bernard averages 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Wes Dreamer is next with 9.6 points while Ryan Welty averages 8.3 points.

NWMSU HEAD COACH BEN McCOLLUM:  In 12 seasons, McCollum has led NWMSU to 248 wins and six MIAA regular season titles. In 2017 and in 2019, McCollum directed the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II National Championship as well as MIAA regular season and tournament titles. McCollum played at NWMSU and led the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in 2001-02.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES:  Jonell Burton, who is leading the Blue Tigers with 19.7 points per game, is currently third in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in total field goals made (46). 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 OFFENSIVE:  L'Kielynn Taylor already has 21 offensive rebounds on the season, ranking third in the MIAA and 33rd in DII early in the year with 3.5 offensive boards per game. Taylor, who is leading the league in total rebounding (10.5) and defensive rebounding (7.0), is currently 16th in Division II in rebounds per game.

MASTER THIEF:  Cameron Potts has notched 13 steals during the first six games of the year and is second in the MIAA with 2.2 steals per game. Potts, who ranks 56th in Division II in steals per contest, has helped LU average 7.0 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 30th in Division II with 5.8 assists per game. Potts, who is third in the MIAA in assists, also has the league's ninth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).

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 Lincoln is currently fifth in the league, allowing opponents to shoot just .313 beyond the arc.

D-D-D-DEFENSE:  In addition to being tough along the perimeter, Lincoln has been strong all around while on defense, ranking 55th nationally with 68.0 points allowed per contest. The Blue Tigers, who are sixth in the MIAA in both defensive rebounding (28.0) and offensive rebounding (11.0), are fifth in the conference with 39.0 boards per night.

FIELD TACTICS:  Six Blue Tigers are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Cameron Potts (.534), Jordan Notch (.583) and L'Kielynn Taylor (.538) all making more than 50-percent of their attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .430 from the field while holding opponents to .404 shooting, with that field goal defense ranking fifth in the MIAA and 42nd in the country.

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.

CAREER 40:  Jonell Burton scored a career-high 40 points against Harris-Stowe, with that total tied for the sixth-most in a single game by any NCAA Division II player in 2019-20. It is also the second-most in a game by an MIAA player, with only Northwest Missouri's Ryan Hawkins having scored more in a contest (44).

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 20 shots in 2019-20, with the 3.3 rejections per game ranking sixth in the MIAA. Jonell Burton, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team in 2018-19, leads the Blue Tigers with six rejections while Cameron Potts is next with five blocks.

HOME AND MIAA OPENER:  The Blue Tigers, who are playing their 2019-20 home opener on Thursday, have won the game at Jason Gym of the season in three of the past four years. LU will also seek its first win in the first game of the MIAA season since beating Northeastern State on the road in the first league game of 2014-15.

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 plays its second home game of the year on Saturday (Dec. 7) as the Blue Tigers host Missouri Western at 3:00 p.m. CST.