Complete Game Notes
Game #9: Missouri Western (5-2, 0-1 MIAA) at Lincoln (1-7, 0-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 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/
Special Event: Salute to Service Day

THE TIP OFF:  The Blue Tigers continue a four-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 7) as the Lincoln women's basketball team hosts Missouri Western at 1:00 p.m. CST. Both teams are seeking their first MIAA victory of the 2019-20 season, with the Blue Tigers dropping a 56-32 decision to Northwest Missouri on Thursday night (Dec. 5) in Jason Gym. LU will try to end a four-game skid vs. a Missouri Western squad that dropped its first league game of the year to Central Missouri, 62-53, on the road on Thursday. That loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Griffons, who are 5-2 overall on the year.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Missouri Western will meet for the 43rd time on Saturday, with the Griffons leading the series, 37-5.

- The Griffons swept the season series last year, with a one-point win in St. Joseph followed by a nine-point win in Jefferson City.

- Missouri Western has won the last two games in this rivalry, with Lincoln's last victory coming in 2017-18, as the Blue Tigers earned a 73-62 victory over the Griffons in Jason Gym.

- A victory over Missouri Western would give Lincoln a 1-1 start to conference play for the second-straight year as well as a 2-2 mark in home games in 2019-20.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Vivian Chigbu, who is averaging a double-double with 12.3 points and 10.6 boards. Kaloni Pryear leads Lincoln with 17.0 points, and Natasha Dolinsky, who averages 6.6 points, leads LU with 2.1 assists per game. Alecia Gulledge is averaging 7.5 points while Kiara Shoulders' 5.9 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:  Lincoln led by three after the first quarter, but shot just .233 from the field for the game as Northwest Missouri beat the Blue Tigers, 56-32, on Thursday (Dec. 5). NWMSU was ranked fourth in the country in fewest turnovers per game at 11.1 entering the night, but Lincoln forced 21 takeaways on the evening. LU was led in the game by Kaloni Pryear (10 points) and Vivian Chigbu (13 rebounds).

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Missouri Western is out-scoring opponents by an average of 71.3-60.0 and out-rebounding by an average margin of 37.9-30.3. Leading the team in both categories is Chris Wilson with 16.1 ppg. and 9.4 rpg. Leading the team in both assists (17) and steals (20) is Katrina Roenfeldt, who also averages 11.3 points. Corbyn Cunningham, meanwhile, is second on the team in both scoring (13.3) and rebounding (5.3).

MWSU HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER:  In her first year with Missouri Western, Whitaker has the Griffons off to a 5-2 start. Whitaker previously spent nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, most recently at Texas Tech, where she led the Lady Raiders to four-straight appearances in the Big 12 tournament.

TO THE TENS:  Kaloni Pryear is off to a fantastic start offensively, averaging 17.0 points per game to lead Lincoln and rank third in the MIAA. In all seven 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 47 field goals, the second-most by an MIAA player, and ranks 81st 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 third-most double-doubles by an MIAA athlete. Only Belle Barbieri (Fort Hays State) and Maya Williams (Pittsburg State) have doubled up more times with four on the season. The three double-doubles are the 39th-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 (42.4) and in offensive boards (16.4). Lincoln is rising up the ranks in the national levels as well, ranking 17th in Division II in offensive rebounding & 54th 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 tied for the MIAA lead and rates 23rd in the country in total rebounds per game with 10.6. Chigbu's total of 85 rebounds is the most in the MIAA and the fifth-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 5.9 boards per contest. Shoulders, who also averages 7.3 points, is ninth in the league in defensive rebounding with 4.8 per night as well as 13th in the conference in total rebounding. Shoulders' play has helped LU post the seventh-best rebounding margin in the MIAA (+3.4).

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 17.0 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 4.6 offensive rebounds per game lead the MIAA and are 11th nationally while her 6.0 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.

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:  The Blue Tigers continue their home-stand next Saturday (Dec. 14), hosting Hannibal-LaGrange at 1:00 p.m. CST.