Complete Game Notes
Game #23: Lincoln (16-6, 9-4 MIAA) at Nebraska Kearney (8-14, 3-10 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Kearney, Neb.
Live Stats: https://lopers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #24: Lincoln at Fort Hays State (14-8, 8-5 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hays, Kan.
Live Stats: https://fhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  The final two road games of the season await the Lincoln men's basketball team this week, as LU plays at Nebraska Kearney on Thursday night (Feb. 14) at 7:30 p.m. CST before a Saturday (Feb. 16) game at Fort Hays State, set to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. CST. Lincoln, at 16-6, is already assured of a winning season, and is firmly in the mix for a top-four seed in the MIAA tournament at 9-4 in MIAA play. On Thursday, Lincoln will take on a Loper team that is 8-14 overall, but which has won two of its last three games and three of its last six. Fort Hays State is also vying for a top-four seed in the tournament, owning a 14-8 overall record and an 8-5 league mark.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Nebraska Kearney will meet for the 12th time on Thursday, with the Lopers leading the series, 6-5. LU won the last game, 82-79, at home last year.

- Saturday will mark the 21st meeting between LU and FHSU, with Fort Hays State leading the series, 13-7. The Blue Tigers won the last game, 77-56, at home last year.

- With 16 wins, LU has secured a fourth-straight winning season.

- LU is No. 7 in the D2SIDA Central Region Media Poll.

- Lincoln is one win away from recording 10 conference wins in a season for the first time since 2015-16.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Terrance Smith leads Lincoln with 16.6 points and 6.8 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 4.6 assists while scoring 12.0 per night. Amariontez Ivory (13.7 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (12.9 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.5 rebounds.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led LU to three-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
Lincoln 66, Missouri Western 52
Terrance Smith led all scorers with 25 points and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden and Jonell Burton each added 11 points as Lincoln beat Missouri Western on Feb. 7. Smith and L'Kielynn Taylor each pulled down eight rebounds, helping the Blue Tigers out-rebound the Griffons, 42-32, while, as a team, Lincoln was 21-for-23 at the free throw line.

Northwest Missouri 75, Lincoln 57
The Blue Tigers led for much of the first half, but Northwest Missouri, ranked No. 1 in the NABC Division II rankings, went on a 30-6 run to beat Lincoln on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 9). NWMSU shot 22-for-26 at the line, but Lincoln finished with a higher shooting percentage (.490-.407) and was led offensively by both Amariontez Ivory and Terrance Smith with 15 points apiece.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Kanon Koster is the scoring leader for Nebraska Kearney with 16.2 points per game, while Kyle Juhl is next with 8.8 per night. As a team, the Lopers are scoring 68.1 points per contest, but allowing 72.9, and have turned the ball over 281 times in 2018-19. UNK has also forced 115 steals.

UNK HEAD COACH KEVIN LOFTON:  In 2015-16, his first season as UNK's sole head coach, Lofton guided the Lopers to the championship game of the MIAA tournament as well as an NCAA tourney bid. Lofton spent the previous 10 years as UNK's co-head coach, and led the Lopers to 171 wins, including 117 in league play. Over the past three seasons, Lofton has led the Lopers to more than 50 victories.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Brady Werth leads Fort Hays State in both scoring (15.9 ppg.) and rebounding (6.6 rpg.) while Marcus Cooper is next on the scoring list with 13.4 points per night. Aaron Nicholson averages 10.2 points, and three other FHSU players average over seven points per contest, including Jared Vitztum, who is also averaging 5.5 boards. Kyler Kinnamon leads the Tigers with a 4.4 assist average.

FHSU HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON:  The all-time wins leader at Fort Hays State, Johnson has more than 300 wins with the Tigers and has led FHSU to seven appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers have won at least 20 games in nine seasons under Johnson, with three players earning All-American honors.

WINNER, WINNER:  With its win over Emporia State, Lincoln clinched its 15th win of the year and a fourth-straight winning season. LU went 16-14 in 2015-16, 17-13 in 2016-17 and 15-14 last season. This marks the first time that LU has had four-straight winning seasons since posting eight consecutive winning campaigns from 1971-72 through 1978-79.

SHOOTING STARS:  LU ranks among the best teams in the MIAA in making baskets, as Lincoln is fourth in the league in field goal percentage at .480. The Blue Tigers, who rank 11th in DII in three-point percentage (.409) and 50th in total field goal percentage, are 15-2 this season when finishing games with a higher accuracy rating than their opponents.

IVORY TOWER:  Amariontez Ivory scored at least 10 points in 21 of his 29 games last year, and is having another stellar season in 2018-19. An All-MIAA honorable mention last year, Ivory now has tallied 16 total performances with 20-plus points, including a 30-point day at Emporia State, and averages 13.7 points this season with 14 double-digit point performances in 2018-19.

DOWNTOWN'S CLOSED:  Teams have had a hard time making three's against Lincoln, as the Blue Tigers lead the MIAA and rank sixth in DII in three-point defense (.298). While opponents have attempted 476 shots from downtown, LU has allowed just 142 treys this season, tying Missouri Western for the fewest allowed by an MIAA squad.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE:  Lincoln is once again one of the top teams in the MIAA in three-point shooting, as LU is second in the conference with a .409 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the 11th-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 9.4 treys per night, the fourth-most in the conference.

HE GIVES AND HE TAKES:  Ni'Sean Rigmaiden has been a huge asset to the Blue Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, but especially in assists and steals, where he leads the team with 101 and 32, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is fifth in the MIAA in assists and fourth in total steals, also averages 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

POINTS FOR FREE:  LU is opportunistic at the line, as the Blue Tigers are shooting .768 on free throws, a percentage that is fourth in the MIAA and 31st in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 48-for-53 at the line while Jonell Burton shoots .836 at the charity stripe.

GRANTED:  Grant Olsson has stepped up his game in his second season with the Blue Tigers, as the senior averages 9.7 points and 4.0 boards per game. Olsson, a starter in 21 games this year, has scored in double figures in 10 of the past 16 games and has grabbed at least four boards in 14 contests.

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 begins a four-game homestand on Tuesday (Feb. 19) by hosting Lindenwood at 7:30 p.m. CST.