Complete Game Notes
Game #8: Northwest Missouri (4-3, 0-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (1-6, 0-0 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019
Time: 5:30 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/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball

THE TIP OFF:  It's the start of the MIAA season for the women's basketball teams from Lincoln and Northwest Missouri, which will meet on Thursday night (Dec. 5) in Jason Gym at 5:30 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers will attempt to open conference play with a victory for the second-straight year, as Lincoln opened its 2018-19 league slate with a road win over this same Northwest Missouri squad. The Blue Tigers went on to sweep the Bearcats in last year's season series, and will try to end a three-game skid by earning a third-straight victory over NWMSU. The Bearcats enter the week with a 4-3 record, with the three losses coming in their past five games.

FAST BREAKS
- The Blue Tigers and the Bearcats meet for the 47th time on Thursday night, with Northwest Missouri leading the series, 36-10.

- Lincoln swept Northwest Missouri in 2018-19 with a 69-66 win in Maryville followed by a 64-51 victory in Jason Gym.

- A win would give Lincoln a 1-0 record in conference play for the second-straight year. Before last season, the Blue Tigers last opened league play with a win in 2009-10 when LU was in the Heartland Conference.

- LU is 1-1 at home with a win over MacMurray and a one-point loss to St. Louis-Pharmacy.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Vivian Chigbu, who is averaging a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.3 boards. Kaloni Pryear leads Lincoln with 18.2 points, and Natasha Dolinsky, who averages 7.3 points, leads LU with 2.1 assists per game. Alecia Gulledge is averaging 8.6 points while Kiara Shoulders' 6.3 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
Maryville 84, Lincoln 67
Maryville out-scored Lincoln, 17-3, in the second quarter and held on for an 84-67 victory against the Blue Tigers on Friday (Nov. 29). Kaloni Pryear led all scorers with 26 points and Alecia Gulledge chipped in 11 points while Natasha Dolinsky and Kiara Shoulders each scored 10.

Missouri-St. Louis 79, Lincoln 61
Vivian Chigbu posted her third double-double of the season, tallying 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, but the Blue Tigers fell to Missouri-St. Louis, 79-61, last Saturday (Nov. 30). Kaloni Pryear led Lincoln in scoring with 18 points and nearly had a double-double herself, as she finished with nine rebounds.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  NWMSU does not turn the ball over very often, as the Bearcats are fourth in NCAA Division II with just 11.1 per game. Three NWMSU players average at least 10 points per night, led by Kendey Eaton with 16.3 per contest. Jaelynn Haggard (10.4 ppg.) and Kylie Coleman (10.3) are the other top scorers, while Erika Schlosser averages a team-high 3.7 assists and Mia Stillman is the top rebounder (4.9 rpg.).

NWMSU HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER:  A four-year letterwinner on the Northwest Missouri men's basketball team from 2002-06, Meyer is in his second season leading the Bearcat women and enters the week with a career record of 11-22. From 2008-18, Meyer served as an assistant coach on the NWMSU men's basketball staff and helped lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2017.

DOUBLE THE FUN:  Vivian Chigbu has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in three games in 2019-20 for the second-most double-doubles by an MIAA athlete. Only Belle Barbieri of Fort Hays State has doubled up more times with four on the season. The three double-doubles are the 26th-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, seven of Lincoln's next nine games will be at home, with LU hosting Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western this 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 (43.1) and in offensive boards (15.9). Lincoln is rising up the ranks in the national levels as well, ranking 27th in Division II in offensive rebounding & 45th 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, is third in the MIAA and rates 33rd in the country in total rebounds per game with 10.3. Chigbu's total of 72 rebounds is the second-most in the MIAA and the 26th-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 6.3 boards per contest. Shoulders, who also averages 7.6 points, is 10th in the league in defensive rebounding with 5.3 per night as well as 13th in the conference in total rebounding. Shoulders' play has helped LU post the fifth-best rebounding margin in the MIAA (+4.6).

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 18.2 average has her tied for second 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 4.1 offensive rebounds per game lead the MIAA and are 23rd nationally while her 6.1 defensive boards per game are sixth 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.

COMPETITIVE EDGE:  Alecia Gulledge made her 2019-20 debut against St. Louis Pharmacy and immediately made an impact, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds. Gulledge also had two steals and dished an assist while shooting .500 from the floor.

HOME DEBUT:  Vivian Chigbu's first home game as a Blue Tiger was a memorable one, as the junior led Lincoln with 26 points and 15 boards against St. Louis Pharmacy. Chigbu also had four steals and an assist, and made her first trey of the season.

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 continues conference play by hosting Missouri Western on Saturday (Dec. 7) at 1:00 p.m. CST.