Complete Game Notes
Game #26: Washburn (20-5, 13-3 MIAA) at Lincoln (16-9, 9-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, February 23, 2019
Time: 3:00 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/
Special Event: Red Cross Game

THE TIP OFF:  The second contest of a four-game homestand awaits the Blue Tigers on Saturday (Feb. 23) as the Lincoln men's basketball team hosts Washburn at 3:00 p.m. CST. Playoff positioning is on the line for both teams, as each is currently in the top-five of the MIAA standings with just three games remaining in the regular season. Lincoln, which debuted at eighth in the NCAA Division II regional rankings, is fifth in the league with a 9-7 conference records, and would likely need to win two of its final three games to finish in the top four. On the other side of the court is an Ichabod squad that is 13-3 in conference play and in second in the standings.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Washburn are meeting for the 33rd time on Saturday. Washburn leads the series, 28-4, but Lincoln won the last meeting, 75-73, on Jan. 31.

- The American Red Cross, in conjunction with the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, will be at the game to promote its blood drive in Scruggs on Feb. 28th and to share some information with Blue Tiger fans.

- With 16 wins, LU has secured a fourth-straight winning season for the first time since posting eight-consecutive winning seasons from 1971-72 through 1978-79.

- 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 16.7 points and 6.7 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 4.8 assists while scoring 11.4 per night. Amariontez Ivory (13.2 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (13.1 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.4 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 nearly rallied from a 14-point deficit with just under five minutes to go, but Lindenwood held on for an 86-82 win in Jason Gym on Tuesday (Feb. 10). All five of LU's starters scored in double figures, led by Grant Olsson and Jonell Burton, who each scored 17 points. Terrance Smith added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Amariontez Ivory chipped in 16 points while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden had 12 points, six boards and six assists.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Javion Blake is averaging 20.0 points and David Salach is next with a 12.7 average, while four other players are averaging eight points per night. Tyler Geiman is leading the team with 5.5 assists per game, and Will McKee is WU's top rebounder (5.9 rpg.).

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his second season as the head coach of the Ichabods, Ballard has led to Washburn to 42 victories, with 20 in 2018-19. In his first year at WU, Ballard led the Ichabods to the championship game of the MIAA tournament. Ballard spent the previous four seasons at the NCAA Division I level, with stints at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and was the head coach at Baker from 2010-12.

REGIONALLY RANKED:  The first edition of the NCAA Division II regional rankings came out this week, and Lincoln is in the top-10. The Blue Tigers, who have 14 wins both in the Central Region and against NCAA Division II programs, are slotted No. 8 in the region. As eight teams from each region make the NCAA Division II tournament field, every game is important for the Blue Tigers to stay in playoff contention.

BACK TO THE POSTSEASON?:  With one more win, Lincoln will clinch its fourth-straight trip to the postseason. The Blue Tigers, with nine wins in MIAA play, are currently fifth in the league standings, and, depending on how the final three games turn out, could finish in the top four. All MIAA tournament games will be played inside Municipal Auditorium, and Lincoln is trying to make its third trip in four years to the Muni.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT:  Grant Olsson, a senior physics major with a 4.0 GPA, was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 7 first team on Feb. 21. Olsson, one of only two MIAA players on the all-district team, is the second Blue Tiger to earn the recognition, following Joshua Buie, who was honored in 2015.

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 16th in DII in three-point percentage (.402) and 49th in total field goal percentage, are 15-3 this season when finishing games with a higher accuracy rating than their opponents.

BURTON TO BURTON:  Lincoln has a pair of outstanding point guards who happen to share a name. Jonell Burton and John Burton (unrelated) each scored 20 points in the win over Pittsburg State, and Jonell, with 13.1 points per game, is third among LU players in scoring. John, meanwhile, is averaging 6.2 points and shooting .368 from long distance.

SWEEPS WEEK:  Lincoln won both its games vs. Missouri Western this season and has a chance to sweep two more season series. On Saturday, LU will take on Washburn, while on Wednesday, Lincoln hosts Southwest Baptist. LU beat both opponents on the road earlier this year.

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 13.2 points this season with 16 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 seventh in NCAA Division II in three-point defense (.303). While opponents have attempted 544 shots from downtown, LU has allowed just 165 treys this season.

THREE'S COMPANY:  Amariontez Ivory has been hot from beyond the arc, as he is ranked among the best in NCAA Division II in three-point shooting. Ivory ranks 10th in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .465 three-point percentage, and he has made 73 total treys, the 55th-most by a DII player.

BREAK THAT RECORD:  The 2018-19 Blue Tigers have the chance to break some season records. With a .752 free throw accuracy rate, LU is poised to break the 2017-18 record of .735, and with a field goal percentage of .480, Lincoln is making a run at the record percentage of .489 from 1966-67.

AGENT SMITH:  Terrance Smith has doubled up in five games this season, including tallying season-highs in points (35) and rebounds (14) in LU's win over Missouri Southern. Smith, who also posted double-doubles against Ecclesia, Missouri S&T, Northwest Missouri and Emporia State, leads the team with 16.7 points and 6.7 boards per game.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  After leading the LU men's basketball team to three-straight victories, including a win over No. 20 Missouri Southern, Terrance Smith was named as the MIAA Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 7. Smith, who scored 35 points and grabbed 14 boards vs. MSSU, averaged 21.7 points & 8.3 rebounds that week.

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 .402 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the 16th-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 9.2 treys per night, the fifth-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 119 and 33, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is fifth in the MIAA in assists and fourth in total steals, also averages 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

POINTS FOR FREE:  LU is opportunistic at the line, as the Blue Tigers are shooting .752 on free throws, a percentage that is fifth in the MIAA and 52nd in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 53-for-61 at the line while Jonell Burton shoots .840 at the charity stripe.

GRANTED:  Grant Olsson has stepped up his game in his second season with the Blue Tigers, as the senior averages 10.4 points and 4.0 boards per game. Olsson, a starter in 24 games this year, has scored in double figures in 12 of the past 19 games and has grabbed at least four boards in 16 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:  The Blue Tigers remain in the friendly confines of Jason Gym next Wednesday (Feb. 27) to host Southwest Baptist at 7:30 p.m. CST.